When Dobby had come to see him the summer after his first year, Harry had been stuck with a choice- return to Hogwarts or run away. He had desperately wanted to return, but he spent nights awake worrying—less about himself—and more about the only people he really cared about. If he was in danger, he knew that meant that it would put other people at risk, people like Ron and Hermione.

He knew he could never live with himself if anything happened to them because of him. When the Dursley's had left on a weekend away to visit Aunt Marge, Harry took his moment to escape for good.

He was able to break down the locks and retrieve his wand and his invisibility cloak- he was packing light so he'd leave everything else there. He grabbed one of Dudley's backpacks and filled it with a few essentials and then stole 200 quid from Aunt Petunia's "emergency" money in a coffee can under the sink.

Harry knew that this was best for everyone, so he said his goodbyes to 4 Privet Drive and walked out the front door, making his way to the bus stop just as the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon.

By his calculations, it would take 3 bus transfers and a few hours to make his way to Croydon. He had decided it would be best to stay on the outskirts of London for the time being, afraid someone might recognize him if he was creeping around in the main part of the city.

He knew he had to be smart about things and avoid using magic at all costs. If he was going to stay under the radar, he had to be careful. He knew his cloak would help him move around easily, and he just hoped that his years of fending for himself would help him survive. Anything was better than being at the Dursleys, or getting himself and his friends killed back at Hogwarts.

It was nearly the start of term before Dumbledore or anyone in the Wizarding community realized that Harry Potter had gone missing. His relatives had returned to find him gone and counted it as a blessing, going about their normal lives considering themselves quite fortunate that their freak of a nephew had taken it upon himself to remove himself from their care.

It was the Weasley's who raised the alarm, after multiple letters went unanswered and finally a trip to Surrey found a Dursley residence completely devoid of a Potter. They immediately reached out to Dumbledore to formulate a plan to track him down and keep him safe.

Dumbledore had convened a group of his most trusted colleagues- he called on Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Arthur and Molly Weasley, and Alastor Moody. They knew that they could not let news of Harry's disappearance leak into the Wizarding world at large, and that they must find him as quickly as possible in order to keep him safe and return him to Hogwarts.

At first it was days, then weeks, then months without any signs. They had told the other students that Harry was recovering from a particularly terrible case of Dragon Pox and that he would return when he was feeling better. After a few weeks, the questions died down and everyone seemed to go on without asking too many more questions.

Behind the scenes, however, everyone "in the know" was frantic. Dumbledore had regularly called on Snape to investigate any potential tips or ideas as to where to find him, but they had continued to come up empty. Harry had not used his magic once since walking out the door of Privet Drive and tracking him down, without alerting those who might want to harm him, was proving a very difficult task.

It was the end of April and it had been 10 months since Harry had run away. He had started his adventures in Croydon, but realized that it didn't take too long before his face became known by the locals and things had become too familiar for his comfort.

He moved on every few months, staying in Muggle areas and trying not to draw too much attention to himself. He had moved on from Croydon to Bristol, then Bath, and finally Brighton, where he found there was just enough of a transient community to pass unnoticed with all of the people on holiday.

Harry had learned that as a younger person, one who looked quite innocent, he could get by fairly easily with handouts. He knew the bakeries and shops who put their "expired" food out, carefully wrapped up in plastic just outside their back doors. There were also several kebab shops and other places that would give him a free meal if he walked in and asked for it.

When he needed to, he had his cloak, and he'd become quite adept at swiping whatever he needed if he didn't have a choice. He tried to avoid stealing if he could, but he knew if he had to he could get away with it.

He was lonely often, and while he tried not to let anyone get to know too much about him, he'd occasionally hang out with some of the other kids he knew were sleeping rough. Most of them were a few years older, and the group was constantly changing as kids went back home, got picked up by police, or moved in and out of hostels or other crash pads with their friends or partners.

He learned a lot from these other kids- following them around to know the best spots to hide out during the day when it was too cold or too hot, where to get food, and where to avoid getting harassed by police. They'd taught him quite a bit about survival, and it also helped him feel less alone to know there were other kids who had come from quite horrible circumstances- many of which made him feel like life at the Dursley's was rather tame. Still, none of them had a crazed evil wizard trying to murder them, so, he tried not to play the "whose life is worse" game in his mind.

The weather was just starting to be somewhat decent in Brighton and the crowds were picking up, which meant he was able to slink around and survive out in the open a whole lot easier.

It had been a pretty uneventful day, and Harry was pleased that he'd waited long enough on a Tuesday night that the kind lady at one of the local kebab shops had given him a bag full of chips and a chicken shawarma and wished him a pleasant evening. He walked out of the shop and headed back toward his little hideaway, not realizing that he was being followed.

Harry had rounded the corner, heading toward a cozy courtyard where he'd stashed his stuff and usually slept the night in a small garden surrounded by mostly pensioners in a half-empty apartment complex. It was always quiet there, and safe, and with his cloak draped over him at night, no one ever bothered him or even knew he was there.

But what Harry didn't realize is that as he was mindlessly enjoying his hot chips, two teenage boys had followed him out of the shop. They weren't part of the crew of usual runaways and other teens that he knew slept rough in Brighton, but they were local lads who would sometimes drink a bit and cause some trouble when they were bored.

"Oi, give us some chips!" one of the boys shouted at Harry, grabbing his arm from behind.

Harry spun around and tried to keep his face neutral. His heart was racing but he knew that he had to keep his cool. He didn't want them to see the fear in his eyes, but neither did he want to act tough and antagonize them. They were much much bigger and there were two of them.

He handed over his bag of food. "Take it," he said, trying to sound unfazed.

The bigger of the two boys laughed and pushed Harry against the brick wall. "What else you got there?" while he started pushing his hands around Harry's pockets, looking for cash, a card, or anything they might be able to take.

Harry didn't have anything on him. His wand and his cloak were hidden in the bushes near his hideaway, and he only had a few coins on him which he would gladly give them. But it seemed obvious to Harry that these boys didn't really want his food or the few quid he had, they were just looking for trouble and were amusing themselves with him the way an alley cat might play with a mouse they'd pounced on.

"Where's your mummy li'l boy?" laughed the other boy, swigging from a large can of beer. "You shouldn't be out all by yourself at night like this, tsk tsk tsk. Summat bad could happen to you."

Both boys laughed and the bigger boy again pushed Harry against the wall, grabbing at his shirt and ripping the collar, causing both boys to crack up even harder.

The second boy grabbed Harry's pants, reaching into his pockets and finding a few pound coins and about 60 pence in change. He pocketed the 1 pound coins and threw the rest onto the street.

Harry tried to remain calm but he knew now that he was in a position where his internal alarm bells were ringing and his anxiety was skyrocketing. These boys were ASBO delinquents, a little drunk, and fully capable of harming him in more ways than one. He could feel his magic starting to well up inside of him.

When the bigger boy put one hand around his neck, and reached for the waistband of his pants with the other, something exploded in Harry. He knew he had to get away from them and only his magic was going to save him, so he closed his eyes and let it explode out of him.

The boys were blown back away from him, beer can going flying, and the two of them landing on the street, unconscious, with a thud. Harry looked around quickly and realized they were still alone in the alley, and he made a run for it.

He ran quickly to his stash, grabbing his backpack with his wand and his cloak and the few items of clothes he had, and kept running. He ran for a while, making his way to the beach but making sure to run indirectly so that no one could follow him.

It wasn't the height of tourist season yet, but there were still people along the boardwalk. He made his way in that direction hoping he'd be safer in the one part of town where there were still people walking around.

He knew he needed to get out of Brighton, but now it was close to midnight and there was no way out tonight. He'd have to wait until morning and take buses and trains and find his way somewhere else. He knew it wouldn't be long before they tracked his magic, but he'd hoped that he would still have a good enough headstart. He just needed to find somewhere he could rest and plan for a few hours.

He walked down to a deserted part of the beach off the boardwalk, finding his way to an abandoned pier. He figured he could see a long way down the beach in both directions and he could just camp out underneath it until daybreak when he'd find his way out. He set his bag down and leaned up against one of the columns, catching his breath and trying to push the events of the evening out of his mind, willing himself to relax and think clearly.

He was exhausted. He was scared. He was lonely. He quite felt like indulging himself in all of his feelings of misery and self-pity, but he also knew that he didn't really have the energy for it. He just needed to rest a bit and make a plan. He'd get out of there tomorrow and he'd start all over again.

Harry allowed himself to close his eyes and think about happier times. He thought about Hogwarts and playing quidditch and chatting away happily with Ron in the Great Hall. He hadn't meant to fall asleep...but his mind drifted off, desperate for the comfort of his happiest memories.

It was close to midnight on a Tuesday night when Snape received Dumbledore's "urgent message" to come to his office. He wasn't asleep yet, but he couldn't help but be annoyed. He'd received similar messages nearly once a week since Potter had been gone, and each time it usually meant Snape was going to be sent off on some wild goose-chase to find the boy.

He would never tell Dumbledore "no," but frankly he was tired of being an errand boy. He was trying to keep up with his duties as-not just a Potion's professor-but also the master of his house, a spy, and a supposed "Deatheater." Playing Sherlock Holmes to track down the missing Golden Boy was very much an unwelcome addition to his overpacked schedule.

The Headmaster's door swung open just as Snape walked up to it.

"You wished to see me, Headmaster," Snape drawled, keeping things respectful but allowing the tiniest hint of indignation to seep through.

"Severus, I've had word from one of my contacts that there has been an incident in Brighton. I think it might be Harry."

He kept his exterior cool and his face unmoving, but Snape's heart began to race. While he always kept a stable facade, the truth was that he had been deeply concerned since finding out that Harry was missing. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he did harbor tremendous feelings of guilt. He tried not to imagine what Lily might say if she knew her baby boy was out alone in the world, being hunted and preyed upon by Merlin knows who. He also pushed back on his concerns that he hadn't acknowledged what were quite obvious signs that things in his home life at the Dursley's were insupportable.

"Well, that is quite a development. Do continue."

Snape sat himself down in the chair opposite Dumbledore, waiting for further details and willing himself to get his emotions under control. They'd had tips before, but they never turned out to be anything, and inevitably Snape would search all night and come back empty-handed. But something in Dumbledore's voice seemed different tonight, maybe this would finally be the night they found him.

"There was a magical explosion in an alley in Brighton. Two teenage boys were knocked unconscious. They are largely unharmed, but unfortunately there were several Muggles who saw a bright flash of light and heard the noise. One saw from their window a small dark-haired boy with glasses running from the alley. The police are on-scene now."

"I suppose you'd like me to investigate?" Snape sighed, resigning himself to yet another sleepless night chasing Potter around the UK.

"Yes, Severus. We won't have much time before this leaks out and people put the pieces together. We have to find Harry, as soon as possible. Moody is trying to handle things from the Auror's side, but the truth is that now that this has been reported to the muggle authorities, it's going to be impossible to contain within the Ministry. We need to find him before anyone else does."

Snape steeled himself for the task at hand. "Of course, Albus. I'll find him."

Dumbledore came around his desk and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Snape pushed himself up from the chair. "Thank you, my boy. We're all depending on you."

With that, Snape excused himself and walked out the door, making his way quickly to this quarters to prepare himself for another all-nighter hunting Harry Potter. He changed quickly out of his robes into Muggle clothes and walked out the gates of Hogwarts. He felt a different energy tonight, but he tried not to let himself get his hopes up.

He took a deep breath, and apparated to Brighton, hoping that this was finally the night that he would find Harry Potter.

Snape apparated not far from the commotion in the alley. He saw the two teenage boys sitting on a curb, talking to police while the medics checked their vitals and bandaged up their minor injuries. Flashing blue and white lights lit up the streets and he tried to connect with the remnants of the magic.

As a skilled Legilimans, he could connect with the minds of other wizards and witches with ease, but he generally needed to be face-to-face with them. While he was not going to be able to connect directly with Harry, if he cleared his mind and opened himself up, he could sense the magic and try and latch onto it.

He wasn't close enough to get any visions, but he could feel where Harry had been. He walked along the street, hoping that he'd sense when he was getting closer. He had a feeling he should head in the direction of the ocean, so he gave in completely to his intuition, hoping it would steer him the right way.

As he walked along the boardwalk, willing his mind to connect with Potter, he got the tiniest flash of a vision. It was brief and faint, but he knew he was by the sea, and he was curled up somewhere outside, but under a shelter. He continued to walk hoping he'd feel it get stronger.

Snape walked for a good 15 minutes before he felt another flash, this one a bit stronger, and he saw Harry running down the sand to a pier. He looked ahead and saw the same pier in the distance and quickened his stride, praying to Merlin he'd find Harry.

As he approached the pier, at first he didn't see anyone. He walked around the columns until he saw a small backpack, and then the form of a young boy, crunched up in a ball, sleeping quietly.

The relief hit him first, but as soon as he allowed himself to breathe, the emotional floodgates opened and he was overwhelmed with everything else he'd been holding onto for these 10 months. The fear and anxiety, the guilt, the anger, and the multitude of other feelings he refused to acknowledge rushed back into him.

"Potter, get up" he barked, perhaps a bit harshly, as he kicked a bit at his foot.

Harry's eyes flew open in terror before recognizing that the towering dark figure standing above him was none other than his dreaded professor, Snape.

Before Harry could even respond, he felt Snape's hands around his upper arm, dragging him up from the sand.

"Enjoying a little holiday by the seaside, are we?" Snape said sarcastically, keeping all of his emotions at bay by resorting to his sardonic wit.

"Professor? What are you doing here?" It was a dumb question. Harry knew exactly why Snape was there. He'd blown his cover with the accidental magic and now Snape was coming to take him away. He wouldn't be surprised if he was about to drag him directly to Voldemort.

Snape kept one hand on Harry's arm, and started to brush the sand aggressively from his back and legs.

"Oww!" yelped Harry, "Stop! I can do it myself."

Unable to keep his irritation in check, Snape gave him a hard smack on his backside.

To Snape's surprise, Harry kept his mouth shut and gently started brushing off any remaining sand.

"You're absolutely filthy," Snape snapped, continuing to dust the sand off of Harry's shoulders and back. "And as much as it pains me to interrupt your little gap year by the sea, I'd prefer not to take half of the beach with me when we apparate back to Hogwarts."

He was truly a pathetic sight. Even though it had been nearly a year since Snape had laid eyes on the boy, he didn't look like he'd gained an inch or a pound. He was emaciated. His face looked slightly older and more mature, but he had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was sunburnt and unclean. His hair, which was a mess even in the best of times, was longer and matted in places, completely out of control. He was covered in scratches, bug bites, and dark patches that could either be bruises or dirt.

In other words, he looked like one of those feral children that were found in the woods on a Discovery channel documentary. Snape felt a pang in his heart when he looked at the boy, but he shoved any feelings of sympathy deep inside. He had a job to do. Not to mention, Potter did this to himself, and he was not about to let that go without some serious repercussions.

"We need to go, Potter, do you have everything? We're not coming back." Snape snarled, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Yeah" Harry said, resigned to his fate and too mentally and physically exhausted to put up a fight. He'd heard Snape say they were going to Hogwarts, and while he didn't fully trust the man, he figured he'd find out soon enough.

Snape was tempted to make a snide comment about his blatant lack of respect in addressing a professor, but one look at the boy and he decided against it. They were both too tired. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"Brace yourself, Potter, we're leaving." And with that, Snape slung the backpack over one arm, grabbed Harry with both hands, and apparated the two of them back to the gates of Hogwarts.

Harry nearly crumpled to the ground. Snape was glad he had a firm grasp on the boy when they reappeared in front of Hogwarts.

"Stand up straight, Potter."

He felt like a ragdoll in his hands. It was clear Harry had never apparated. He pulled him up on his feet—not exactly gently—but with precision and care.

The boy felt light in his hands. Way too light.

Snape gave him a moment to orient himself before he spoke again, recognizing that the boy was obviously in a pretty poor state.

"If you're feeling better, we'll be on our way." Snape loosened his grip on Harry's arms and released him once he was sure the boy wouldn't fall over.

Harry stayed silent as they made their way back to the castle. He was relieved to be back at Hogwarts, and now that he was fairly sure that Snape wasn't carting him off to Voldemort (at least not at the moment), he could feel the tension leaving his body. Now all he felt was exhaustion. Like he'd been hit by a truck.

The two walked in silence as they approached the doors, Snape holding him gently (but firmly) by his wrist.

He wasn't in the mood for any hysterics. He definitely refused to chase the boy any more this evening, so he felt it was wise to at least keep one hand on the boy to remind him exactly who was in charge.

Not totally unfeeling, Snape slowed his gate enough so that Harry could keep up with him and not feel like he was being dragged.

"It's late. I'm taking you directly to Madame Pomfrey and we'll talk about everything tomorrow."

"But I'm fine," Harry whined, looking up at Snape."Why can't I just sleep in my dorm?"

Harry stopped moving his feet, pulling back on his arm making a rather poor attempt to free himself from Snape.

Snape wasn't having it. He turned around and gave the brat a glare. "Don't even think of throwing a tantrum, Potter, it's not up for debate," Snape snapped sharply. "Now move your feet."

They moved toward the castle again. Snape held his lips in a hard line and did everything he could not to completely lose it at the kid.

"You are clearly very exhausted, and unless you somehow qualified as a healer during your little Rumspringa, I don't believe your opinion here is relevant. Madame Pomfrey will examine you and we'll make decisions from there."

"There's nothing wrong with me." Harry mumbled, loud enough to be heard but low enough that he hoped Snape didn't think he was arguing. He could sense, as usual, that his professor wasn't to be pushed tonight.

He thought back briefly to that smack he'd gotten on the beach and his face reddened. No, Professor Snape clearly meant business tonight, he would not tempt fate. Besides, he was too damn tired.

"Well, if that is indeed the case, then you should be out of the Hospital Ward tomorrow." Snape gave a little pull on his arm for good measure. "Now stop dawdling, it's late."

Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore were waiting inside the hospital wing when they arrived. On seeing Harry, they both sprung up from their seats and rushed toward the boy.

"Harry, my boy! We're so glad you're safely back at Hogwarts. I imagine you're quite tired, so I won't keep you tonight, but I just wanted to see you for myself."

Although the twinkle was back in his eyes, the concern and stress was still evident on his face. He gave Harry a gentle pat on the back.

"Try and rest tonight, we will talk more tomorrow."

Dumbledore looked at Snape and gave him a tight squeeze on his shoulder. Snape gave him a nod and the two exchanged a look that said more than words could probably say in that moment. Relief peppered with a sense that their work was far from over.

"Goodnight sir, I'll see you tomorrow."

Harry was a bit embarrassed to be standing in front of the Headmaster. Not only because he had disappeared without explanation for nearly a year, but because he knew he was in a right state. He looked down at his dirty, torn clothes and cringed. He wouldn't even THINK about what he must look like to everyone. He felt every bit like the orphan he was.

"Severus, thank you for bringing him back here safely. I'll be in my office when you're done here." And with that, Dumbledore took his leave.

"Oh Harry, we've been worried sick!" Madame Pomfrey rushed to his side, looking him up and down and soaking in the pathetic state the boy was in.

"You've given us quite the scare, Harry. I don't know what you've been up to, but you have a lot to answer for young man," she scolded mildly. "But not tonight, let's just get you settled now, hmm?"

As Madame Pomfrey fussed over the boy, Snape recognized that his work here was done.

"Thank you, Poppy. I'm going to stop by to see Albus, but I'll be in my quarters if you need anything. I look forward to hearing a full report tomorrow."

Snape turned Harry toward him so he could look him in the eye. "Behave yourself, Potter. I mean it. I expect you to be cooperative with Madame Pomfrey. And don't even think of stepping one foot outside of the Hospital Ward. Am I clear?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"You might also want to take this time to remember your manners, Mister Potter. When I see you tomorrow I better be hearing you address me properly."

He paused for effect, and focused a hard look at the boy. "That would be 'Sir' or 'Professor'- just in case your little sabbatical as a street urchin has affected your memory."

"Yes, sir."

Snape turned toward Madame Pomfrey "He'll obviously need a bath and probably some food, but I'll leave him in your capable hands."

"Of course, Severus! Don't you think I know how to do my job after this many years?"

"I have the utmost confidence in your care."

Snape headed for the door pausing only to send another warning. "I mean it, Potter. You had better be on your best behavior. Get some rest."

And with that, Snape left them for Dumbledore's office.

"Well, why don't we get you out of these clothes and into the bath, first," she said while gently leading him toward the bathroom at the back of the ward.

Pointing her wand at the tub, she filled it up with warm water and added in some soaking salts and soothing potions. "I'll bring in a fresh pair of pajamas and there are new toothbrushes and toothpaste in the drawers."

There was no one else in the ward, but she knew as a teenage boy he probably wanted some privacy, so she left Harry to undress by himself, keeping the door open just enough that she could hear when he got in.

Harry peeled the dirty clothes off of him. The tub looked so inviting, he was thrilled to be climbing in. It had been a long time since he'd had a relaxing bath. In fact, he couldn't even remember when he had last soaked in a tub.

As soon as he set himself down, the water turned a brownish gray. I'm disgusting, he thought. But then he just laid back for a moment and closed his eyes.

Hearing Harry in the tub, Madame Pomfrey returned to the bathroom to place clean towels and a fresh pair of pajamas on the counter. "There should be soap and shampoo by the tub, Harry. Take your time, but please clean yourself well. You look like you haven't been clean in months."

She cast her wand at the water and added some bubbles and clean water to the tub. Mostly for his modesty, but also because she could tell he needed to feel a little luxurious right now.

Poor boy, she thought, he looks like he's been to hell and back. 

Harry's mind was all over the place. On the one hand, he'd never been so happy to be back at Hogwarts, but he also knew that whatever danger was lurking before, was likely still waiting for him. He wanted to see his friends. Would they be mad at him for running away without telling them? What's going to happen with school? Oh shit, what about the Dursleys? Is he officially an orphan again?

It was too much. He would think about it tomorrow. Right now he just wanted to lay back and soak. It felt so so good.

Snape made quick and determined strides down the hall to Dumbledore's office. He would have liked to have avoided this conversation tonight, but there was no way around it. He had no idea what they were going to do with the boy now that he was here, and they needed a plan before things went off the rails entirely.

"Toffee Tiddlywinks" purred Snape, rolling his eyes as he waited for the door to open.

"Come in, Severus, come in." Dumbledore was standing behind his desk, hand feeding some snacks to Fawkes. He turned toward Severus and beckoned him in with his free hand.

Snape tossed himself into a chair, letting out a deep sigh. "Well, the Wonder Boy has done it again. He's managed to somehow survive this ridiculous adventure."

His words were flippant, but he was hugely relieved, and even feeling a big smug for having tracked the boy down before anyone else could get to him.

"Well done, Severus. Truly, I can't thank you enough for all you've done to get Harry back here safely."

"Remind me, was there a reward listed on his Wanted poster? Surely the brat must be worth at least a few thousand galleons?" he said letting a smirk cross his lips.

Dumbledore smiled. "Surely, there is no greater reward than knowing we have brought the boy back safely, and the future of the Wizarding World is forever in your debt."

"Indeed, I'm sure they'll be lining up at my feet to shower their praise." Snape closed his eyes for a moment before looking back up at the older wizard.

"So, now what? The term is nearly over, and I imagine now that this episode in Brighton has -for no better words-"blown up," I'm not sure what we can do with him."

Dumbledore finally sat down at his desk. "Ah yes, I've been thinking that over and I may have a solution."

"Go on." Snape could hear in his tone that this might not be something he wants to hear, but as usual, he probably wouldn't have much of a say in the matter.

"Well, Harry is not going to be able to rejoin his classmates at this point. We can't keep him at Hogwarts if he isn't enrolled as a full-time student, so I considered the idea of an apprenticeship."

Dumbledore braced himself for Snape's response, but when none came, he continued. "It hasn't been done in over a hundred years, but it will keep him on Hogwart's grounds where he can be safe. And hopefully, out of the Ministry's meddling.

"And what of his studies? He's only 12. He's had practically no magical education. He couldn't possibly focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. Not to mention he lacks the maturity and focus for an apprenticeship at this age."

"Precisely!" Dumbledore said with a smile. "As a junior apprentice to one of our own staff, he would still have plenty of time to do independent study while he catches up on his coursework. And apprenticed to the right person, he would be able to explore several subjects in greater depth. Assuming, that is, that his mentor was someone who possessed the right skills and qualifications."

Snape just stared at Dumbledore, willing him with the arch of an eyebrow to carry on.

"I see. And who did you have in mind? Whomever it is would have to have an extraordinary wellspring of patience and tenacity if they're going to be taking on Potter. He lacks the smallest amount of self-discipline, I'm not sure he could possibly apply himself to an apprenticeship and independent study without everything falling apart."

Snape was sure he'd need a firewhisky to continue this conversation. But alas, Dumbledore wasn't much of a drinker, so he'd have to wait until he made it back to his own quarters for that.

"As usual, Severus, you are correct. This is not a job for just anyone. Harry can't possibly return to the Dursley's after this, so the apprenticeship would come with the responsibilities of being a guardian as well. And there are very few-in fact, really just one-I would consider trusting completely to do this job."

Here it comes, Snape thought. "Do tell."

"There's no one else here that could I would trust to do this besides you, Severus. There's no one else who could keep him safe, teach him, and train him to become the wizard we know he needs to become. Not to mention, as a qualified Potion's Master, you're one of the only members of staff who could legally take on an apprentice."

Dumbledore looked at Snape, trying desperately to read his face. But Snape's poker face was too good. His mind was reeling, but he gave nothing away on the surface.

"I see."

Snape willed himself to stay calm. He knew, of course, that Dumbledore had very good reasons. He also knew there was little alternative if they were going to keep Harry safe within the confines of the castle. Nonetheless, he could think of a million reasons why this was a terrible, if not extremely inconvenient solution.

He took a dramatic breath in and out and waited for Dumbledore to squirm and beg. He wanted the old man to convince him that this was the only choice and ultimately, he had no option. He would not agree to this flat out, the logistics of it were too horrific to accept on the first go around.

"I know I've already asked a lot of you, Severus, but without Harry, all of your sacrifices will have been for nothing. At the end of the day we need him to be safe, healthy, and prepared. You're the only one who can do this."

This conversation had not been completely unexpected. He had been considering the possibilities for months, running through potential scenarios for what they would do if they were able to successfully recover Harry. But it bothered him deeply that Dumbledore was so focused on Harry's role in the future, that he wasn't fully appreciating all of the difficulties that lie ahead.

"I have absolutely no interest in taking the boy on as an apprentice." Snape said matter of factly, making his displeasure apparent but knowing it would be difficult to flat out refuse.

"You realize, Albus, that this will not be a simple exercise. Harry requires MUCH more than just learning some spells and potions. Merlin knows what he's been up to this year, but he is clearly not well. He was spoiled and arrogant to begin with, now he's been out on the streets for a year, and I don't think he's going to merrily agree to being magically bound to me-or anyone for that matter-until he graduates from Hogwarts."

Snape closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"The boy completely lacks any focus or self-discipline. I also have reason to believe that his despicable attitude and emotional outbursts are related to some kind of neglect and abuse at the hands of the Durselys. That's not going to be an easy fix, and frankly, I don't think I'm the right person for it."

"I think you're mistaken, Severus. I think there's a lot more than potions and defensive spells that you could teach Harry. I also think that if he were under your guidance and care, you might be able to reign in some of these...less desirable character traits."

"I'm not a tolerant man, Albus! He needs a lot more than I can give him," the vitriol coming out in his tone. "I can provide him with structure and discipline- but I will NOT coddle him and indulge his emotions. For Merlin's sake, the boy can't even make it through a simple potion's class without some kind of outburst or cheek! You and I both know that an apprenticeship will not afford him any leniency."

Snape was trying not to be irrational, but he was frustrated and angry. Part of him knew that there was no other real option, but it felt supremely unfair.

"I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you could do it. And if I didn't think it was the most important thing that you will ever do."

Now Dumbledore was playing his ultimate trump card: emotional blackmail.

"Severus, I know you haven't always been fond of the boy-"

Snape cut him off and sat up in his chair. "Fond of the boy? Really, Dumbledore? You know he's been nothing but trouble since he walked in the door. He's exactly like his father- his arrogance and selfishness has no bounds!"

"He's Lilly's son too. You seem to forget that. And she and James both died so that he could live. I would think you of all people might have some appreciation for that."

There it was. Checkmate. Dumbledore knew that he couldn't possibly respond with anything convincing after that.

"Harry is not just any boy, Severus. You and I both know he has an important role to play, and we must do our part so that he can do his."

There was no arguing with Dumbledore after this. Snape might be pissed, but he was backed into a corner. There was no way out of this.

Still refusing to give him an answer, Snape got up from the chair. "I will need to reflect on this before I give you my decision. If this is going to possibly work, I'm going to have a list of demands. We will do things my way. I will not agree otherwise."

"Goodnight, then, Severus. And thank you."

Snape said nothing as he walked out the door. Let the old man stew in uncertainty a bit. Now what he needed a glass of firewhisky and a few hours solid sleep.

As soon as Snape returned to his quarters, he poured himself a generous glass of firewhiskey. He rarely indulged himself like this—especially in the middle of the week—but he needed to take a few moments to himself after a long and draining day.

He sat on his favorite armchair sipping his drink while the fire flickered in front of him. His mind was reeling; not only with feelings and emotions that he usually shoved deep inside, but also with the impending doom of Dumbledore's request.

Snape had never liked the boy- he was disrespectful, lazy, and willfully disobedient. Just looking at his face was enough to conjure up some of his worst memories of James Potter, and as irrational as it was, it added to his disdain. The boy ran around the castle without any respect for the rules, not only putting himself in danger, but risking the safety and lives of everyone around him...just like his father had. It was hard not to draw the comparison.

It pissed Snape off that Dumbledore, and even McGonagall, seemed to let Harry get away with everything, and at times even encouraged his dreadful behavior. Honestly, giving him points for running after a mountain troll? And 50 points for nearly getting himself killed going after the Philosopher's Stone? Infuriating.

At the same time, Snape knew what the boy represented and how important he was. And while Snape could sometimes be a petty and bitter man, he took his commitments and duties very seriously. He had made promises to Dumbledore—and in his heart, to Lily—that he would protect Harry and dedicate his life to the destruction of the evil that threatened them all.

He kept these promises because at his core, he was an honorable man. A flawed and imperfect man, one who had made mistakes in the past, but one who lived to redeem himself. He wanted to do right by the boy and he was determined not to let his personal feelings get in the way of fulfilling his duty.

Snape took a long sip of the firewhisky and let out a deep sigh. He knew he would have to take Harry as his apprentice. It was truly the only way the boy would be safe and able to resume his studies. The potion's professor was confident in his ability to teach him everything he needed to know- to train and prepare him for all of the inevitable unpleasantness that laid ahead. The greatest challenge would be with himself.

If he put his own feelings about the boy (and his father) aside, he knew that Harry deserved better than the lot he'd been given in life. Although he didn't know much about the details of his life before Hogwarts, after Harry had run away he'd heard rumblings from McGonnagal and the Weasleys. The boy must have had a good reason to leave his relatives. Or maybe the boy was just an arrogant brat who decided he knew better than everyone else and wanted to live without any rules so that he could do as he pleased.

Either way, in Snape's mind there was no excuse for what Harry had done. Having had a pretty horrific childhood himself, Snape understood the urge to run away...he had wanted to leave his own home a thousand times while growing up. But to actually do it, without telling anyone, especially given what the boy knew about the dangers he faced, was truly idiotic.

Halfway through his glass of whiskey, Snape was feeling a little bit better. He had locked back up all of the uncomfortable emotions (his guilt, his regrets, his memories of Lily and his own horrible childhood) and was storing them tightly away into the dark recesses of his mind. This is where he could control them-and preferably-avoid them. If he allowed them to float around freely, he would never function. He was a master of compartmentalization.

Snape finished his drink and went to bed, lamenting the late hour and cursing the fact that he never seemed to get enough sleep.

Back in the Hospital Wing, Harry had bathed and eaten, and Madame Pomfrey was packing him into bed. The diagnostic spells hadn't shown anything surprising- he was underweight and vitamin deficient with some minor scrapes and bruises, and some old healed injuries. These could be easily remedied, but it was his psychological and emotional state that truly concerned her.

"Harry, are you sure you had enough to eat? You're very underweight" Madame Pomfrey asked as she filled a spoon with an ugly brown potion and pushed it toward his face. "Here, take this, it is just a nutrient supplement."

Harry scrunched his nose and looked at the disgusting liquid being forced in his direction. "Um, I'm quite full, actually. Do I really need to take that, it looks gross."

Madame Pomfrey tilted her head and glared at him, urging him to open his mouth. "It's important, Harry, please don't make a fuss. I'd like to be able to tell Professor Snape that you've been a model patient. Now be a good boy and open up."

Harry rolled his eyes, he hated being talked to like a baby. But he also didn't want to incur the wrath of Madame Pomfrey or Snape, so he swallowed the spoonful of potion without further complaint.

"Yuck" he murmured under his breath, tilting his head down so he could scowl to himself. He adjusted his face and then looked up sweetly at Madame Pomfrey "Can I have some water, please?"

"Of course, Harry. Do you want me to get you some Dreamless Sleep? You look quite exhausted and you've been through a lot, it would do you some good to get a long night of rest." She looked at the boy with a maternal concern in her eyes.

Harry smiled back at her. "No thanks, I'll be OK. Just some water would be good." He climbed under the covers and settled into the bed.

Madame Pomfrey brought him a glass of water and set it down on the table beside him before pulling his covers up a bit and patting his head gently.

"Try to get some sleep now, Harry. And if you need anything, just give us a shout."

Harry took his glasses off and put them on the table next to the water glass. As the lights dimmed in the hospital ward, he snuggled into his pillow and closed his eyes. He felt so good being clean, well-fed, and in a comfortable bed. He had forgotten just how comfortable a real bed could be. Even though there was a lot on his mind, the exhaustion in his body took over, and nearly as soon as he'd closed his eyes, he fell fast asleep.

The next morning came too soon for Snape. He didn't have his first class until the afternoon, but with Harry back in the castle, there was a lot to do.

He showered and dressed himself back in his teaching robes, taking his time doing up the many buttons of his frock coat. It was like a meditation for him. He was a precise and exacting person-his shirts and pants were always ironed to perfection-and the act of putting himself together each morning helped him feel prepared and in control.

He looked at himself in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect before giving himself a nod and a short internal pep talk. You've got this, Severus. There is no one who can do this job better than you. Keep it together.

With a flick of his wand, he extinguished the lights in his quarters and walked out the door. As soon as he hit the hallway, he put on his Professor face. It wasn't exactly a scowl, but it was certainly not inviting, warm, or friendly. He kept his jaw tight and his eyes narrow, and he walked with his head up, his chest out, and his stride brisk and authoritative. Any students that had the misfortune of being in the hall when he walked by would quickly scurry to get out of his way. No one would dare attempt idle chatter. Just the way he liked it.

Snape stopped first at the Hospital Ward, quietly making his way inside, hoping the Potter brat was not yet awake.

Madame Pomfrey waved him back to her office, putting a finger over her mouth to signal that Harry was still sleeping and he should be quiet.

Excellent, Snape thought to himself, I may still get a few more Potter-free hours. He walked quietly into her office and flicked his wand in a quick circle, enveloping the two of them with a silencing charm. He definitely didn't want to risk waking the boy just yet.

"Poppy," he nodded. "How was your night?"

"Everything went smoothly, Severus. Harry's been sleeping rather soundly since I put him to bed last night," she said as she glanced over at Harry's bed where the boy was curled up on his side, long dark hair falling over his face.

Snape glanced over at the boy, thinking to himself how small and frail he looked lying in the bed like that. He really was just a child. So innocent looking when his eyes and mouth are shut and he's not causing any trouble. False advertising. 

Snape crossed his arms and leaned casually against the wall of Madam Pomfrey's office. "So, what did you find?"

Madame Pomfrey picked up a parchment from her desk and read it over. "The diagnostics showed he was severely underweight for his age. He's slightly anemic and has several nutrient deficiencies including iron, several B-vitamins, and Vitamin C. I've given him a nutrient supplement that he should continue for the next few months."

She put the paper down and looked up at Snape. "Although, I'm not sure he's going to like hearing that, he did not enjoy taking it last night."

Smirking, Snape let out a little huff. "Whether he likes it or not, he will take it every day. I will not allow him to come down with scurvy because he's too stubborn to take a potion."

"Oh Severus, Harry is a good boy, I'm sure if I explain it to him, he'll take it without a fuss." She playfully slapped at his shoulder.

Snape raised his eyebrow at her playfully. "He'd better if he knows what's good for him. Did you find anything else?"

She scanned down her parchment "He's got a few minor bruises and abrasions all over him, but no major injuries. I've also treated him for scabies, he had bites all over his hands and legs. Other than that, no new injuries."

"Any old ones?" Snape asked, his face narrowing slightly with concern. He tried to lean over to read the parchment but Madame Pomfrey snatched it away from his prying eyes.

"Nothing to be concerned about. A broken wrist a young boy. It doesn't look like it was ever set properly, but it's hard to know with Muggle healers, they don't have the same resources available to them. Other than that and some chronic signs of poor nutrition, there's not much else."

"Thank you, Poppy. Let the boy sleep as long as he can, we'll be back later to talk to him. It will go much more smoothly for everyone if he's not sleep-deprived."

And with a curt nod, Snape walked quietly out of the hospital ward, taking one last glance at the small sleeping figure of Harry Potter before making his exit.

Snape's next stop was Dumbledore's office, where they would finalize all of their plans for The Boy Who Lived.

He ran into the Headmaster in the hallway beneath the stairs. "Good morning, Severus, I hope you've slept well." Dumbledore reached out and put a hand on Snape's arm, and the two walked up the stairs toward the Headmaster's office together.

Dumbledore paused as the door flew open "After you, professor." He gestured to Snape who walked through the door and took a seat. Dumbledore followed closely behind, closing the door gently before taking his own seat behind his desk.

"Tell me, Severus, did you have time to think about what we've discussed." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in hope and anticipation as he crossed his hands in front of them on the desk.

"I did, Albus." Snape said, looking at him directly in the eyes and allowing the silence to hang in the air for a moment before he continued. "Regrettably, I see no other solution."

Dumbledore let a huge smile cross his lips. "That is excellent news, my boy! I think Harry will learn a lot from you. This is a most wonderful outcome."

It is most definitely the worst possible outcome. Snape cringed to himself before he opened his mouth to speak. "As I mentioned last night, Headmaster, I will only agree to it if my conditions are met. I would like to flesh out the details of this arrangement now, before we talk to Potter."

"Of course." Dumbledore said, nodding in agreement. "I think that's the best idea. I also want to have everything worked out so that we can deal with the paperwork as soon as possible. As you can imagine, I've already heard quite a bit from the Ministry regarding this whole mess. Harry cannot return to the Dursleys, the blood wards have broken and they have renounced custody. If we do not get this taken care of quickly, the Ministry will take him into care and they will have control over what happens to the boy."

Dumbledore flicked his wand at the desk and a tea set appeared. He poured two cups and offered one to Snape who graciously accepted it.

"Milk? Sugar?" Dumbledore offered.

Snape shook his head. "No, thank you." He took a slow sip of his tea, waiting for the Headmaster to continue.

"I'm afraid that the Ministry of Magical Education has revoked Harry's enrollment since he didn't show up at the beginning of the year, and he had not appealed to the Board of Governors to request permission for absence. As you know, Lucius Malfoy heads this board and he's been quite vocal about refusing him admission back to school. While we may be able to appeal this, for the time being the apprenticeship is the only way we can keep Harry here."

Setting down his cup of tea, Snape sat back in his chair before speaking. "I can say for certain that Malfoy controls most of the Board of Governors, getting Harry admitted back to Hogwarts will be nearly impossible at this point. I agree that an apprenticeship may be the only way back in, but I'm concerned about how we'll get approval for this. As you mentioned before, it's been nearly a century since Hogwarts has had an underage apprentice."

The practice of apprenticeship went back hundreds of years in the Wizarding World, and even today, it was not uncommon for wizards and witches to become apprentices after leaving school. Depending on their field of study, they could spend 3-8 years learning their trade before gaining qualifications.

Snape himself had done an apprenticeship in Potions after he graduated from Hogwarts. In fact, an apprenticeship was required to qualify as a Potion's Master. It also meant that Snape was legally able to take on his own apprentice, given it was approved by the Academy of Potion Masters, also known as the APM.

Since apprenticeship is bound by a magical contract, in the modern age it generally involved wizards and witches who are of age (with the rare exception made for a gifted student who finished school before they turned 17). In the past, younger children-very often orphans and children from poor families who couldn't care for them-had been made apprentices so that they could learn a craft and have someone else take care of their basic needs. While not illegal, this practice had fallen out of favor decades ago, having lent itself to exploitation and abuse.

"My concern, Albus, is how we will be able to gain approval for this apprenticeship. Harry is only 12 years-old, surely there will be resistance."

Dumbledore refilled his cup. "Ah yes, we will have to be careful how we go about this. Since the magical bond and contract goes through the APM, we will need to secure their support first. I was hoping with your position, and the respect with which you're held amongst members of the organization, you could work on this for us. Although, we will also need the Ministry to approve of the bond since Harry is under-age and they are currently overseeing his custody.

"This may prove difficult, Albus." Snape sipped slowly at his tea, the wrinkles in his forehead deepening as he reflected. "As you know, I've been a member of the APM for many years. I also sit on the Committee for Research and Innovation. My own mentor, Prof. Barclay, is among the senior leadership of the organization, but I don't know if he'll agree. If I can convince him and get his backing, I think he can help us get our petition for an underage apprenticeship passed. My greatest concern, however, is the Ministry."

Dumbledore reached across the desk and patted Snape gently on the hand. "Let me worry about the Ministry, I just need you to work on the APM."

Snape nodded and poured himself another cup of tea."I'd like to discuss the details of this apprenticeship if we could, Albus."

Steeling himself, Snape continued. "While this agreement goes against my better judgment, and will certainly be an enormous burden, both personally and professionally, I see no other solution.

Snape took a slow breath in and tried to keep his face neutral, although he could feel his anxiety rising. "It is without question that if Harry were unable to continue his magical education, it would be a disaster. Equally important, I fear for his safety if he were to go into the custody and care of the Ministry. They've proven themselves incompetent at best, and malevalent at worst. There are certainly those in power whom I fear do not have Potter's best interest at heart. Therefore, I will put my own reservations aside and make Mr. Potter my apprentice."

Dumbledore clapped his hands together softly and gave Snape a broad smile. "Excellent, Severus. I know it will be a difficult adjustment for you, but you've always risen to a challenge."

"I will commit myself fully to Mr. Potter's academic and personal development, but that means that I will have final say over what he does and how he does it. I am trusting you by taking this position, so I am asking that you trust me in return to do my job well."

Snape glanced at Dumbledore who looked at him kindly, encouraging him to continue.

"I know the boy is reasonably intelligent and he's capable enough to become proficient, if not exceptional, if he applies himself. He clearly has what it takes to be a very powerful wizard...IF he is trained properly. My concerns are not with his intellectual ability, but with his personal qualities. His lack of focus and discipline has given rise to impulsive and risky behaviour. If I take him as my apprentice, this cannot be allowed to continue."

Snape paused for another breath, watching Dumbledore for any sign of disapproval. He knew that the Headmaster loved Harry deeply, but was also prone to overlook his flaws. In fact, by Snape's account, Dumbledore had been one of the main perpetrators who coddled and spoiled him.

"I don't disagree with your observations, Severus."

The wrinkles in Snape's forehead relaxed slightly as he spoke. "Headmaster, things are going to change very quickly for Mr. Potter once he's in my care. I will not tolerate his disrespect, nor will I accept anything less than his best effort in all things. I will take this apprenticeship very seriously, and since he is underage, his health and well-being will also be my responsibility. He will have to follow my instructions and my rules in all things. While I will never abuse my position or harm him in any way, I expect to have full authority over him and the way I discipline him."

Snape let that last part hang in the air. He knew Dumbledore understood what he meant. He didn't want any interference when it came to keeping Harry in line. Dumbledore had never been much of a disciplinarian—in fact, he rather enjoyed being the "good cop" who occasionally rewarded House points and gave out candy. He was happy to leave the difficult work to the rest of the faculty.

"I mean it, Albus, it is going to take a great effort on my part to train Mr. Potter into the wizard I know he can become, and if he is my responsibility, I don't want you or Minerva interfering every time he gets in trouble."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "I understand, Severus. I trust you completely, however, I'd like you to remember that Harry is still a boy, and that he will make youthful mistakes. You cannot be too hard on him or he will resent you. He's a sensitive boy."

It took every ounce of self-control Snape had to not laugh right at the Headmaster's face. "I'll try to remember to send him to you when he needs a cuddle," Snape quipped.

He hardened his face before beginning again. "I fully recognize that Mr. Potter is still a child, and that is why I will treat him accordingly. He needs consistent boundaries and consequences, two things he has clearly lacked so far in his life. I will set clear rules and expectations for him, but if he violates them, he will be punished. I will never punish him cruelly or unfairly, but I will be firm. At the end of the day it is my goal to build trust and respect and for him to learn the self-discipline he needs to be successful in life.

Snape was feeling more in control of things now, and as much as he dreaded having the brat around permanently, there was a part of him that was somewhat looking forward to it. He loved a challenge. He would moan and complain about the extra work and the constraints on his time, but deep down he was thrilled with the idea that he could do a better job than anyone else. He was sure if he could do things his way, he could turn Harry into a brilliant wizard.

After thinking for a moment how to respond, Dumbledore finally replied. "I understand, Severus. It is my greatest hope that Harry will blossom under your care. There are many of us who care deeply for him and want to see him happy and healthy. I do not doubt your intentions for a moment, but I only hope that you will remember to temper justice with mercy and patience. Minerva and I will still be a part of his life here at Hogwarts, but we will not interfere with your role as Harry's mentor and guardian.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Dumbledore waved his hand and the door flew open. It was Minerva McGonagall.

"Minerva, do come in!" Dumbledore smiled and waved her inside. "Cup of tea?"

"Good morning, Albus. Severus." She nodded in Snape's direction before taking a seat on his left. "Yes, thank you. With milk and sugar, please."

Dumbledore poured her tea, adding a drop of milk and two cubes of sugar. Stirring gently, he handed her the cup and saucer.

"I could hardly sleep a wink last night knowing you'd found Harry. How is he? I went by the hospital ward this morning but he was still asleep. I didn't want to wake him, the poor dear."

Professor McGonagall hadn't slept well in the months that Harry had disappeared. She was exhausted and it showed on her face, she looked like she'd aged five years in barely one.

She turned to her right. "Thank you so much, Severus, I'm so grateful you were able to find him before someone else could get to him." She felt like giving him a hug, but she knew Snape was not the kind of man who appreciated having his personal space invaded. She settled by placing her hand on his arm.

"I found him in quite a pathetic state. But according to Poppy, he's uninjured and just a bit underweight. He's lucky to be alive, honestly. I can't believe he's been running around the streets like a little Oliver Twist for the past 10 months."

Albus set his cup down and cleared his throat gently. "I thank you for coming, Minerva. We wanted to talk to you about our plans for Harry."

Professor McGonagall had been part of Dumbledore's meetings about Harry for the last year. She knew that bringing Harry back to Hogwarts was going to be difficult, but she trusted that Dumbledore would do everything he could to keep the boy safe.

"Severus has agreed to take Harry on as an apprentice. Since the Board of Governors has petitioned the Ministry of Magical Education to revoke his enrollment at Hogwarts as a regular student, it is the only way we can keep him here legally."

A look of shock moved across McGonagall face. "An apprenticeship? He's only 12 years-old, Albus, no one will ever approve that. There hasn't been an underage apprentice here in generations."

Snape chimed in. "I'm going to do my best to lobby the Academy of Potion Masters. With the right people backing me, we should be able to get them to approve the request."

Minerva stared at Snape. "Do you really want to do this, Severus? That's an incredibly big responsibility."

"Albus and I have...discussed things. While I was initially quite reluctant, we both decided this is the only option. As bothersome as I find the child, I don't want to see him denied his magical education or a safe place to live."

A heavy silence hung in the air while Professor McGonnagal absorbed everything that had just been said.

"Will Harry come back to Gryffindor? How will this apprenticeship work, exactly?" Minerva glanced back at Dumbledore.

"I'm afraid not, Minerva," Dumbledore said as he pulled out an older looking parchment. "According to the bylaws, Harry will not be able to continue his house affiliation as long as he's not an enrolled student at Hogwarts. The apprenticeship will grant him access to Hogwarts as an apprentice, however, until we can petition the Board of Governors for a reinstatement, I'm afraid we will have to set him up with alternate accommodations at the castle."

Dammit, thought Snape, it never occurred to me where the boy would stay. 

Snape bristled uncomfortably in his chair, waiting for Dumbledore to continue.

"Historically, when an underage wizard is bound to a Master, they are taken into their home as a ward. This solves both of our problems, as Harry's guardianship would be transferred to Severus when the apprenticeship bond is formed. When he makes the contract, he is accepting full responsibility for Harry, both in his magical education, his advanced study of potions, and all of his worldly needs."

A look of defeat crept across Snape's face as he forced a neutral expression. He knew that he'd be taking responsibility for all aspects of Harry's life, but he had been so fixated on what he wanted to teach the boy that the logistics of the apprenticeship-mainly that Harry would be living with him-had completely escaped his attention.

"If I may, Headmaster. Surely the boy would be able to stay in the dorms during the school year?"

"I'm afraid not, Severus. There is strong precedent and a section of rules governing the rights and regulations of an apprentice, and unfortunately, Harry will have to stay with you. He may visit with his friends on school grounds, but he's not permitted in the dorms."

"What about quidditch?" Minerva eyed Dumbledore with a pleading look. "Surely, he can still play on the quidditch team."

Snape rolled his eyes, as if quidditch matters at all right now. They were trying to save Harry from being shipped off to care of the Ministry where Merlin knows what kind of place he'd end up in or how long it would take before Voldemort got his hands on him. "Honestly, woman, do you really think that's important?"

Minerva looked indignant. "It's important to Harry, I'm sure!" She pursed her lips and gave Snape a mean glare.

"I'm afraid for now, Minerva, Harry will not be able to play for Gryffindor. There are no rules preventing him from flying around practicing with his friends, but until we can catch him up on his work and appeal to the Board, Harry cannot have any official house affiliations."

"Well, I'm not going to be the one to tell him that." Minerva set down her cup with a huff.

"I'll tell him, but I think the three of us should speak to him together. This is going to be a lot of news for him all at once," Dumbledore said as he glanced between the two irritated professors.

When no one else spoke, Dumbledore continued. "Well then, Severus, why don't you take some time to sort out your quarters. We will speak to Harry at lunch. Hopefully he will be well-rested and up for some company."

"What are we going to tell the other students, Albus? I'm sure they're going to want to see him and there will be lots of questions." Minerva folded her hands into her lap and looked back to Dumbledore.

"I think we'll have to keep things quiet right now. The students will go on Easter break in 2 days, hopefully we can get Harry settled and the paperwork completed before they return. This will give Harry, and us, another week to figure things out while the students are gone."

Snape was wondering how he'd possibly keep Harry locked up in secret for another two days. He couldn't even get the boy to sit still for a single class period. This was ridiculous.

"Well, seeing as I need to Potter-proof my quarters, I will take my leave now. I will see you both in the Hospital at lunch."

Snape gave a curt nod to both of them before walking to the door.

Minerva's face was still locked in a scowl. "I am afraid this is not going to go down very well with Mr. Potter. Merlin help us all."

When Harry awoke at 11:30am, it took him a moment to remember where he was. He grabbed his glasses off of the bedside table and sat himself up in bed. He looked around for Madame Pomfrey but the ward was empty.

He grabbed the glass of water and gulped it down. Swinging his feet around the edge of the bed, he pushed himself up, stretching his arms as he stood.

Harry walked to Madame Pomfrey's office and found the door was open, but the room empty. He peaked around to her storeroom but that door was closed. Figuring she'd be back soon, he walked to the washroom.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Harry stared into the mirror. Bloody hell, I look awful. His hair was longer than it had ever been, his face was gaunt and pale, and he barely recognized the boy staring back at him.

He walked back toward his bed, suddenly very bored. He searched in the drawers beside him for his clothes, hoping to change out of his pajamas before he saw anyone else. He was sure he'd have visitors soon.

His clothes been so filthy and full of holes, Madame Pomfrey had thrown them out as soon as Harry had changed out of them. Not finding them anywhere, Harry opened up a cabinet and looked to see if there were any extra laying around. All he found were bandages and a few bottles of saline.

Harry walked toward the door of the Hospital Ward. He vaguely remembered Snape telling him not to go anywhere, but he was all alone and very bored. Not to mention the fact that he'd missed Hogwarts desperately. All he wanted to do was forget about the past year and wander in the halls just like he used to do. He even missed the damp smell of the castle.

Harry wandered back to his bed again and debated whether or not to sit back down. He was feeling restless. He glanced at the door and walked again to it. Maybe I can just peak outside. That wouldn't hurt. 

The hallways by the Hospital Ward were empty. Looking at the clock, he knew students were in class for another 15 minutes or so, then they would be piling into the Great Hall for lunch. He wondered if Madame Pomfrey would let him have lunch in the Great Hall. After all, there was nothing really wrong with him.

Then he remembered he was still in pajamas. He was desperate to see his friends and catch up, but there was no way he'd be caught dead in the Great Hall wearing pajamas from the Hospital Ward.

Suddenly, Harry remembered his cloak. He had it, and his wand, inside the backpack he'd come with. The backpack must be here somewhere! He checked again under his bed and in the drawers of his bedside table. Nothing. Then he remembered Madame Pomfrey's office, surely it would be there!

Harry walked quickly to the door of the office, it was open and it appeared like Madame Pomfrey would return any minute. He looked around again and decided to go in and take a closer look. It didn't take him long before he saw his backpack sitting in a corner under her desk. He grabbed it and made his way back to his bed.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Harry knew that he shouldn't have been in Pomfrey's office, and that he definitely shouldn't be taking out his invisibility cloak. But he silenced that little voice inside that screamed Don't do it, Harry and opted to give himself a little adventure. He wasn't going to be able to sit in the hospital ward with nothing to do.

Surely there would be no harm in just taking a little walk through Hogwarts? Maybe stepping outside for a breath of fresh air. He was embarrassed to be in his pajamas, but as long as he was under the cloak, no one would see him. He'd be back in a few minutes, no one would ever know he was gone, right?

He shoved the backpack under his bed, put his wand in his sock, and wrapped the invisibility cloak tightly around him. This feels so good he thought. Without another thought, he stepped out into the empty halls, breathed in the castle air, and went for a stroll.

Madame Pomfrey returned to the Hospital Ward at ten to noon. She had stepped out for a few moments to follow-up with a Ravenclaw 5th year who'd had a horrific quidditch accident last week. She'd had to regrow several bones, and although he was no longer in need of inpatient care in the Hospital Ward, she wanted to make sure that he was feeling better and not developing any infections or complications.

She had thought about leaving a note, but she figured she'd only be gone for 10-15 minutes and surely Harry wouldn't go anywhere in that amount of time. He had been dead asleep when she left him.

Looking at his empty bed, she gasped. She ran to the washroom and realized that it too was empty. There were water droplets in the sink and his toothbrush looked wet. So he'd clearly been there recently.

Not knowing what to do, Madame Pomfrey sent an urgent message to Professor Snape telling him that Harry had disappeared and she wasn't sure where to find him.

Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, Madame Pomfrey felt terribly guilty. She shouldn't have left him alone, even if it was just for a few minutes. They'd spent 10 months tracking the boy down, and now within 12 hours in her care, he was gone again. She was utterly despondent.

Snape arrived momentarily after receiving Poppy's message. Damn that boy! How DARE he attempt to leave the Hospital Ward. I warned him to stay put. Why can't he follow even the most simple instructions!

He was positively livid. When he reached the Hospital Ward and saw that Harry still hadn't returned, he was on the edge of a full-blown fit.

"What happened?" Snape snapped, the anger in his voice visibly apparent on his face.

Madame Pomfrey was sitting at her desk, her arms propped up on the table, her head laying in her hands. "I don't know. He was asleep when I left 15 minutes ago, I only stepped out for a few minutes and when I came back, he was gone!"

She lifted her head up enough to see the Potion Master's face, clenched in a rage.

Snape didn't blame her, well, not completely. She shouldn't have left the boy alone, but that said, he was 12 years-old, not a toddler. Harry was perfectly capable of following instructions and staying put for a few minutes. He had made a decision to ignore Snape's warning and leave the ward without permission. That's what he was truly angry about.

"Get it together, Poppy. We need to find Harry." It came out harsher than he intended. He wasn't very good with sympathy in his best moments, but right now he was filled with rage. He could tell Madame Pomfrey was visibly upset, but he had little patience for dealing with other people's emotions. They needed to find Harry, and fast, and it would be better if they both had a clear head. This was not the time for tears.

"I'm sorry, Severus, I don't know where he went, but it's only been a few moments. He can't be far." She stood up from her chair and tried to compose herself. Where would he have gone?

"He was in his pajamas, I can't imagine he'd get very far. I had to throw away his clothes last night, they were little more than a dirty pile of rags."

Snape paused for a moment, thinking about what the mediwitch said. "Where are his things? He brought a backpack with him, where did you put it?"

Madame Pomfrey turned around and bent under the desk. "It's gone. I had his bag here, but it's been moved!"

Snape was kicking himself for not taking custody of the bag last night. When he'd found Harry, it was the only thing he had in his possession, but he was so concerned in getting the boy back to Hogwarts, that he hadn't thought about what was in the bag or whether it was safe.

Remembering back to a conversation he'd had with Dumbledore a few months ago, he knew that Harry had an invisibility cloak with him. He was obviously smart enough not to use his wand or his magic while he was on the run, but Dumbledore had mentioned that he had a cloak, and they had all hoped this would help Harry survive out on the streets.

Dammit, I bet he has the cloak. He could be anywhere. Snape swore under his breath before turning back to Madame Pomfrey. "I have reason to believe he has an invisibility cloak in his possession. If that's the case, we may have some difficulty tracking him down."

Snape walked over to the boy's bed. His glasses were gone, the glass of water was nearly empty. He bent down and saw the backpack under the bed. Pulling it out he held it in front of him. "Well, he didn't take this with him, but the cloak isn't here so I can only deduce that he has taken his cloak, defied my instruction, and gone for a little walkabout."

He looked through the bag- inside there was a few quid, two ratty t-shirts, a pair of dirty socks, and a paper menu from a takeaway in Brighton. No cloak, no wand.

It was nearly noon, Snape knew that McGonagall and Dumbledore would be arriving shortly for their lunch chat with Harry. He debated whether to go looking for the brat or waiting for them to get there and make a plan.

Just as he was considering his options, the door to the Hospital Ward creaked open, and Harry slinked through, pulling off his invisibility cloak in the process. He looked up and panicked.

"Hi?" squeaked Harry in a high pitch, moving his eyes between the shocked and irate faces of Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey. He closed the door behind him and slowly folded up the cloak. He wished the floor would open up and swallow him. He planted his feet firmly at the doorway, refusing to walk himself to the gallows.

Snape took a deep breath. Control your emotions. "Mr. Potter, how good of you to join us. Madame Pomfrey must have neglected to tell me that you are suffering from amnesia, because I clearly remember telling you NOT to step foot outside of the Hospital Ward."

Harry gulped, shrinking in place at the icey tone and murderous glare his professor had addressed him with. "I'm sorry, I just needed a bit of fresh air, and Madame Pomfrey wasn't here."

Snape made his way ominously toward Harry. He grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "You were supposed to stay here, Potter. Was there something about my instructions that were unclear?" He gave the boy a mild shake.

"No, sir. I'm sorry. I just needed a little bit of air." Harry's green eyes were wide with fear. Seeing nothing but piercing onyx looking back at him, he couldn't hold the gaze and he dropped his head and stared at the floor.

Snape pulled him roughly toward the bed. "Sit down" he barked, tossing the boy onto the cot.

Madame Pomfrey stood by silently watching. She could tell that Snape was furious, but she didn't want to interfere. She felt bad enough for leaving Harry alone, but she would let the professor handle it. She slinked away back to her office. No one noticed or cared.

"Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall will be here shortly. We will be discussing your...future here at Hogwarts. You and I will discuss this little outing later. For now, it would be prudent to sit quietly and reflect on your situation, Potter. You're on extremely thin ice, and while in the past your disobedience has been...tolerated...that won't be the case for much longer."

Harry backed up on the bed, scooting himself as far away as he could from his angry professor. He tucked his legs under the covers. "I only stepped out for a minute. You don't have to freak out about it."

"Silence!" Snape barked, staring him down with a fire in his eyes. "I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses. You knew very well that you shouldn't have left the ward, but as usual, you decided to do exactly what you wanted without any thought to the consequences of your actions."

Harry dropped his head and avoided the glare. His heart was racing. He wanted to shout back and be angry but there was something about Snape's tone that made him feel like it would be dangerous to open his mouth again.

The clocked ticked audibly in the ward, the only sound perforating the heavy silence in the room.

Snape was furious. He was tempted to throw the boy over his knee right then to show his displeasure, but he recognized that it was neither the time or place. He had to get his emotions under control. He took a breath in and willed himself to calm down. As angry as he was, he knew that there were difficult discussions ahead and he needed Harry to be fully alert and focused when they explained his situation.

Although he was never one to let blatant disobedience slide, even Snape had to admit that his anger was slightly out of proportion. But his nerves were fraught. They'd all been a mess when Harry disappeared, and as much as he was loathe to admit it, he was truly concerned about the boy. There had been much focus on how to keep him at Hogwarts, worrying that the Ministry would come any moment and steal him away, that no one had taken the time to truly discuss what was going on with the boy emotionally. It wasn't Snape's area of expertise, but even he recognized that the boy was likely traumatized. He tried not to imagine all of the terrible things he'd been through. There would be plenty of time for that once he was settled, right now he just needed to keep the boy in one piece and take care of the matter at hand. Be mindful, Severus. The boy has been through a lot.

The minutes ticked by slowly as Snape awaited the arrival of the others, standing in the middle of the ward with his arms crossed and his face rigid.

It wasn't but three minutes later when Professor Dumbledore walked through the door with Professor McGonnagal right behind him.

If he felt the chill in the air, Dumbledore didn't react. He smiled calmly as he made his way toward Harry's cot. "Wonderful to see you, Harry. I do hope you've had a nice rest."

Harry felt relieved not to be alone with Snape. While he hated for the Headmaster to see him lying in bed in pajamas, he smiled back at the Headmaster, grateful for his presence there. "I slept well, thank you Professor Dumbledore."

McGonagall followed quickly to the foot of Harry's bed. "We're so glad you're here, Mr. Potter. We've had quite the fright with you gone so long."

Her words were gentle and her face was full of relief and concern, but Harry could still feel the disapproval in her tone. He blushed slightly at her mild admonition.

"I'm glad to be back. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused." Harry looked up at her for a moment, but was too ashamed to keep the eye-contact for longer than a second.

"Nonsense, Harry, we were just worried about you out there alone for so long alone," Dumbledore chimed in. "I hope you're feeling better now. I'm sure there's a lot you want to say, but I'm afraid right now it's most important to talk with you about your current situation."

With a quick movement of his wand, three chairs made their way around Harry's bed. "Please sit, professors," Dumbledore said, motioning to Snape and McGonagall.

"I know you've been through a lot, Harry, but I want you to know that we want what is best for you. When you didn't come back to Hogwarts at the start of the term, we were all very concerned. You've been gone for nearly 10 months now, and as I'm sure you realize, you've missed quite a lot while you were gone."

Harry's eyes were filling with tears already, despite the gentle tone Dumbledore was using to talk to him.

Dumbledore reached out and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's OK, Harry. We're not going to let anything bad happen to you, but we're all going to have to adapt a bit if we're going to get through this. I'm sorry to say that the Board of Governors at Hogwarts has petitioned the Ministry of Magical Education to remove you as a student."

Harry's eyes grew wide and he yelled out, "What? No! They can't!" Harry started panicking, his hands were shaking and he felt the adrenaline surge through his body.

"Shhhh, calm down, Harry. Take a deep breath and relax." Dumbledore's hand patted his shoulder. "We've found a solution that will allow you to stay here at Hogwarts and continue your magical education. It's an unusual solution, but I think you will find that if we do things right, you will catch up with your classmates and we may be able to appeal the decision and enroll you officially again in future."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Please, sir, I'll do anything. Don't kick me out. I want to stay at Hogwarts. Please. Please don't send me away."

"Of course not, Harry." Dumbledore looked at Snape, signaling with his eyes that he should chime in.

"Mr. Potter," Snape drawled, trying to keep his tone flat and even so as not to excite the boy. "Our options are extremely limited. Since you are no longer enrolled at Hogwarts as a student, the only way you'll be permitted to remain here is as an apprentice. Do you know what this is?"

Harry avoided looking at his professor, instead playing with his hands and staring at the blanket. "Not really."

He'd heard the word before, but only in old books. He had never heard of another student his age being an apprentice. He had no idea what that meant. Is it like being a slave?

Dumbledore stepped in."An apprentice, Harry, is someone who is magically bound to someone else for the purpose of learning an important skill or craft. There are many Hogwarts students that become apprentices when they leave. Professor Snape was once an apprentice to a very prominent Potion Master. It is another path of focused magical education."

"But I don't know what I want to study. How am I supposed to decide this now?" Harry looked like he was about to cry.

"Not to worry, Harry, we want you to do your apprenticeship here at Hogwarts, with one of our professors." Dumbledore hesitated to drop the bomb they were all waiting for, so he continued his explanation without detail. "While you will fulfill all of your obligations as a junior apprentice, you will also have ample time to catch up with the work that you've missed this year. You will still learn everything you should have learned in the 2nd year curriculum, but on top of that you will be given extra lessons. Think of it as an independent study, I think you will find you enjoy the one-on-one instruction, you are an extremely capable young wizard."

Harry was not convinced. He had begged to stay at Hogwarts, and he meant that he'd do anything, but he wanted to come back as a normal student, not whatever this apprenticeship stuff was.

"Who will I work with?" Harry asked, focusing his puppy dog eyes on Dumbledore.

"Your apprenticeship will be with Professor Snape, Harry."

Before he fully finished his statement, Harry jumped out of bed. He screamed out "Are you mental? I can't work with him, he's evil! He hates me! This is crazy!"

Snape stood up and in a flash he had his hand on Harry's shoulder. He willed himself to keep his tone calm. "Sit down, Potter, and mind your cheek. There's no need for hysterics." His voice was surprisingly calm, but he pushed down firmly on the boy's shoulder and gave him a stern look, arching his eyebrow for added effect.

Harry threw himself down on the bed and put his face in his hands, the tears now flowing fully.

Professor McGonagall couldn't take it anymore, she scooted her chair closer to the bed and put her arms around Harry. "There, there, Harry. Everything is going to be just fine. We care about you very much, which is why we're doing everything we can to keep you here. I know you've been through a so much. We just need to get through this right now so we don't have to worry about where you'll go." She accioe'd a handkerchief and pushed it into his hands.

She waited a minute for his sobs to die down. "No more tears, Mr. Potter. Dry your eyes, now. You're quite alright." McGonagall had given in briefly to her soft side, but she only indulged the boy for a few moments. She felt bad for Harry, but her staunch Scottish countenance gave little room for overly emotional displays.

Snape stayed silent, but he was already over it. He had prepared himself for Harry's dramatics, but now that he was sitting in front of him, he wasn't sure just how much more of this he could tolerate. The boy had no choice, and the faster he accepted that, the faster they could all get around to seeing things get done.

Harry wiped his nose with the handkerchief and reached over to the bedside table for a sip of water. His breath hitched slightly as he tried to come to terms with what he'd just heard.

"Why can't I just come back as a normal student?" Harry asked, tears still streaming quietly down his cheeks. "I promise I'll work hard. I can make up the work, I know I can do it if you give me a chance." He pleaded with his words and his eyes.

Snape jumped in. "Enough, Potter. That's not an option. Thanks to your little escapade, you've been kicked out of school and your relatives have given up custody. You can sit here and wallow in your self-pity, but at the end of the day this is your only option if you want to stay at Hogwarts."

McGonagall shot Snape a strong stare, sending the message with her face that she thought he was being too harsh. "Oh for Merlin's sake, Severus, Harry has been through a lot, give him a moment."

Dumbledore chimed in again to try and lighten the mood. "I know this is difficult, Harry, but I think this could be a wonderful situation for you. You will learn things that other students your age might never get to learn. You will get focused studies in several subjects, and you can maximize your potential. On top of that, you will get to stay here at Hogwarts and have your friends nearby and all of the staff here who care for you. You will not be alone. It will be a magnificent opportunity for you."

Harry wasn't convinced. He still had no idea exactly what this apprenticeship entailed, but the hell if he was going to be bound to Snape in any capacity.

"What if I don't want to...what are my other choices?" Harry continued to sniffle and wipe his nose with the handkerchief.

"If you refuse, you'll be carted off to Care with the Ministry, never to return to Hogwarts again," Snape said, matter of factly. "We do not have the luxury of much time, Mr. Potter, so I suggest you decide shortly whether you'd like to continue your magical education or whether you'd prefer to play social services roulette."

There was no way Harry wanted to go into foster care. And regardless of what dangers might lurk here at Hogwarts, he knew this was where he wanted to be. "I guess I'll stay here, then."

"You'll see, Harry, everything will work out just fine. Take some deep breaths" Dumbledore patted Harry's back. "Why don't you calm down now and have some lunch."

"Poppy, can you bring Harry a tray please?" Dumbledore glanced over his shoulder toward the mediwitch's office.

Harry sat in silence, overwhelmed with everything he'd just been told, wishing now that he'd never run away. He could see and hear everything around him, but it seemed very far away. He felt like he was detached from reality. Snape? He was going to be an apprentice to Snape? Shit. I'm so screwed.

After Harry finished his lunch, he found himself alone again in the Hospital Ward. Madame Pomfrey had brought him some clothes to change into and he sat on his bed, bored once again, waiting for his official discharge.

"Don't forget, Harry, you need to take these potions every day. I've let Professor Snape know so he will give them to you, but they are very important." Once again she offered him a spoon filled with a disgusting sludge on it.

Harry opened his mouth and swallowed it down. It was just as horrid as he remembered. He grimaced and couldn't help but let out a small "ick."

Madame Pomfrey searched for the right words. Although her diagnostic spells had shown few concerns in the way of physical injuries and illnesses, she was very concerned about his mental well-being. She had expressed as much to Snape and Dumbledore. It was technically outside of her realm of expertise. She was a trained and experienced mediwitch, but her job was mostly to fix the physical things she saw. Nonetheless, her instincts and training told her that this was a boy who was suffering.

"How are you, Harry? You must have been through a lot." She paused and looked over at the boy. She was out of her comfort zone, but she felt strongly that ignoring his mental well-being was a dereliction of duty.

"I'm completely fine, Madame Pomfrey. Just tired."

It was a lie, he was not completely fine. He was exhausted and terrified about everything that was happening. He felt completely thrown under the bus. He had not expected the conversation he'd had earlier with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape.

Harry was gutted that he was no longer officially a Hogwarts student, and even more upset that he had agreed to an apprenticeship with one of the people he hated the most. Not to mention, he was still worried that there were people trying to kill him. He also felt conflicted about the fact that the Dursley's didn't want him anymore. While he had no desire to ever go back there, it confirmed his worst fears that he had never been loved. He felt lonely and his future felt bleak.

Madame Pomfrey gave him a sympathetic look, waiting for him to speak again.

"No really, I feel fine."

This is what Harry had done his whole life. He'd never bothered to complain or talk about his feelings because for most of his life, no one had ever listened or cared. He was used to shoving things inside and attempting to go on with life just like everyone else. Besides, what could Madame Pomfrey possibly do to help? She wasn't going to be able to change the situation, he would just have to deal with it. Like he always did.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "I just want you to know, everyone here really cares for you, Harry. We've all been so worried about you. I hope you know that you can always come here if you need anything. So if you're not sleeping or you're having nightmares, or you're just overwhelmed with stress, you better come see me!"

This was very out of character for Madame Pomfrey. She was an extremely competent mediwitch, but she was also known for being brusque and to the point. She had never been mean or snide, but she also hadn't ever been the type to mollycoddle those in her care.

Just as the silence was becoming awkward between them, the door to the ward flew open.

Snape swooped in and walked toward Harry's bed in quick but quiet strides. After their lunch meeting, he had returned to teach his afternoon classes and was now back to collect Harry and take him to his quarters.

"If you're ready, Mr. Potter." His tone and affect were flat, and he gave away no emotions. In the world of Snape encounters, this was nearly as good as it gets.

Harry stood up and grabbed his backpack off the bed. He turned to Madame Pomfrey and muttered a quick "Thanks, Madame Pomfrey."

"Of course, Harry. Please remember what I've said. And don't forget to take your potions!" She squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Poppy," Snape said, giving the mediwitch his customary nod before spinning around on his heels and heading back to the door. He let the rest of his words fall behind him "Let's go, Potter."

Harry followed his professor out the door. As they walked along the hallways he stayed a few steps behind, having to jog every few paces to keep up.

Not one for unnecessary words, Snape avoided speaking in the halls. He wanted to get Harry into his quarters before the hallways filled back up with students after their last class. He made his way quickly down the steps to the dungeons and paused outside of his door, flicking his wand casually with a silent incantation.

The heavy door opened and Snape stood to the side, glancing back at Harry, he ushered him forward. "Get in."

Harry walked cautiously through the doorway and paused after a few steps. It was dark—it was a dungeon after all—but then the fireplace roared and he saw the parlor come to life.

It was surprisingly cozy. There were bookshelves filled to the brim lining the walls, a comfortable dark couch and two armchairs placed in a semi-circle around the fireplace.

"Take a seat, Potter," Snape directed, pointing at the couch.

Harry heard the door close ominously behind him. He looked back briefly before walking around to the front of the couch, slinging his backpack onto the floor and dumping himself unceremoniously on the couch. He tried to make himself comfortable, but he was anything but. He felt completely out of place, like he was trespassing somewhere he didn't belong.

Snape walked through one of the doorways on the other side of the room and Harry heard the unmistakable sound of glasses and cutlery clinking around. He sat silently, taking in his surroundings as his professor tinkered in the kitchen.

A few moments later, Snape returned with two cups of tea. He handed one to Harry and took his time settling down in the armchair to his right.

Snape sipped slowly at his tea before putting the cup down on a small table to his left. He was thinking about what he should say. He realized the boy was probably still reeling from the conversation earlier, so he wanted to choose his words carefully. He was desperately trying to avoid any further tantrums or outbursts.

"How are you feeling, Potter?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth he wanted to recoil in disgust. He really had no intention of engaging the boy in a therapy session, but Albus and Minerva had impressed on him that he needed to make an effort to be "sensitive." Even with his Slytherins, he didn't engage in mindless conversation about their "feelings." He took his responsibilities as Head of House very seriously, but he generally avoided one-on-one chats unless it was to lecture them or threaten them about their grades and behavior. He left the tearful conversations about homesickness and inane teenager drama to his prefects.

Harry held his cup with both hands and looked down at his feet, repeating his usual mantra: "I'm fine."

Of course Snape knew that wasn't true, but if the boy wasn't up for talking, that suited him perfectly. "Yes, well, I imagine you're less than enthused with this arrangement. Personally I have never intended to take an apprentice—certainly not someone underage—but here we are. We will both need to adjust."

Harry wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that. Was he supposed to get down on his knees and thank him? He hadn't asked for this. If he wasn't afraid he'd be thrown into some orphanage or picked up by Death Eaters, he would have never agreed. There were a thousand sassy things he could say, but his self-preservation won out, and he stayed quiet.

Snape, sensing that Harry wasn't going to respond, took another breath before beginning again. "Despite our...differences...I am fully committed to seeing that you succeed with your studies and in this apprenticeship. If you fail, it reflects poorly on me. As such, I will do everything in my power to see that all of your needs are met and that you excel in every possible way. Do you understand what I'm saying, Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah, I guess." Harry said, putting his cup to his lips and taking a swig of tea to avoid having to look at his professor.

"Pardon?" Snape narrowed his eyes and hardened his tone. He'd been lenient with the boy when he'd arrived last night, and during their conversation earlier today, but he refused to set a poor precedent going forward.

"What?" Harry said, looking up at Snape with mild indignation.

"Manners, Mr. Potter. You know perfectly well the proper way to address an adult." By Snape's standards, it was an extremely gentle admonition. His voice was stern, but he was trying hard to keep things calm. It took everything he had not to threaten the brat with something extremely unpleasant should he not take heed.

Harry was tempted to roll his eyes, but he controlled himself. He knew Snape well enough to know how poorly that would go over.

"I mean 'Yes, sir.'" He made sure to emphasize the last part, giving off the smallest hint of attitude. If Snape picked up on it, he ignored it, and Harry took that as a win.

Snape nodded. "I understand that you've been through a lot. But I want to make it clear right now," he paused when he realized Harry was fidgeting with his tea cup. "Eyes up. Look at me."

He waited until Harry's eyes met his before continuing. "I will not tolerate any disrespect or cheek from you. This is your last warning. Are we clear, Mr. Potter?

"Yes, sir." Harry mumbled.

"Good, then we won't have any problems."

Snape was making a real effort to tone down his rhetoric. Generally he found that a harsh tone and a few solid threats were extremely effective to ensure his students stayed in line, but he had promised Dumbledore he wouldn't upset the boy tonight.

"It will take a few days to get paperwork together for the apprenticeship. During this time, we will get adjusted to one another and iron out the details of this arrangement. I will endeavor to make my rules and expectations crystal clear. This will be your opportunity to ask any questions. After that, I will not be lenient. Once the contract is formalized, you will be officially under my care and playtime is over. An apprenticeship is not a joke. My credentials and my reputation are on the line and I will not allow them to be tarnished."

Play time? What the hell is he even talking about, there was no such thing as "playtime" with Snape. Harry made small circles on the carpet with his foot. He desperately wanted this conversation to be over. He'd heard every word his professor said, but he didn't have anything to say. Snape was going to do what he wanted anyway. He just wanted to get out there so he could go to the dorms and see his friends.

"Can I go visit Ron and Hermione now?" Harry asked, finally looking up from the floor to shoot Snape a pleading look.

"No, Potter, you may not." Snape braced himself for an impending meltdown. "You'll see them next week when they return from Easter holidays."

Harry scrunched up his face and slammed his hand down on the couch. "That's not fair! They're my best friends, I haven't seen them in ages!"

"Then you can certainly wait a few more days." Snape replied curtly. He gave him a stern look and lowered his voice in warning. "And watch your tone."

"This is rubbish! You can't keep me down here like a prisoner, I haven't even signed anything yet!" Harry leaned back on the couch with an angry huff and kicked at his backpack.

Snape got up from his chair and snatched the backpack off of the floor with one hand before leaning over and grabbing Harry's chin between his thumb and fingers with the other. He pulled his face forward to meet his own and looked him directly in the eyes. Anger flashed in his own eyes and he growled "Get control of yourself, Potter. Right. Now. I assure you, my patience is notunlimited."

Snape kept his eyes locked in threatening gaze for a moment before releasing the boy's face and standing up. "I have no intention of keeping you prisoner, but it is not safe for you to be running around the castle right now. It is of the utmost importance that we keep your whereabouts here as quiet as possible until the apprenticeship is finalized."

Snape paused, waiting to see if Harry had taken his warning. The boy stayed quiet, but his eyes were burning with anger and tears of frustration.

Hoping he made his point, Snape allowed his voice to return to its neutral baritone. "You've had an eventful day. I'll show you to your room and you can rest quietly before dinner." He stood by the arm of the couch, waiting for Harry to follow him.

Harry stood up, quietly wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. He waited for Snape to move before he fell into step behind him.

Snape walked through a doorway at the back parlor. He paused in the hallway, gesturing to a door on the right. "This is your room. I didn't have much time to set things up, but we can make any changes over the next few days."

Stepping forward, Harry opened the door to see a small, but adequate bedroom. There was a double bed with long dark curtains, and a small desk pressed into a corner. A wardrobe and a bookshelves lined the wall but they were all empty.

Harry's trunk sat at the foot of the bed. "How did you get my trunk?" he asked, turning back to look at Snape.

"We collected your things, including your owl, shortly after you failed to return to school. It was at that time that we spoke with your relatives and learned you'd been gone for weeks."

"You met the Dursleys?" Harry asked, feeling his ears burn red as he shifted his eyes to the floor.

"Briefly. The headmaster and I made the trip together. They were most...unhelpful."

Snape had plenty of opinions he could offer about the despicable muggles, but seeing Harry's embarrassment, he stopped short of offering a full commentary.

"There is a washroom here," Snape pointed to the next door on the right, "and my own room is at the end of the hall." He glanced over at Harry before adding "Obviously, that is completely off-limits."

Harry nodded at him. As if I would ever think of stepping foot in that git's room. I don't have a death wish!

"Dinner will be at 6:30. Now go and rest quietly for an hour."

"What am I supposed to do for a whole hour?" Harry said with a touch of whine in his voice.

Snape placed one hand on Harry's open door and the other on his back, gently pushing him through his bedroom doorway. "Figure it out, Potter. You're not a toddler. It is not my job to entertain you."

"I've been laying around all day, and I don't have anything to read!"

Snape closed his eyes slowly and let out an exasperated sigh. It had been less than an hour and he was already growing tired of the brat. "You may borrow a book," he said, waving in the direction of his parlor.

Harry scurried past him into the parlor and began browsing his bookshelves for something fun to read. It was mostly thick academic books and old potions manuscripts.

"Do you have any books on Quidditch?"

"No," he said with annoyance in his voice. He paused for a moment before adding "But there may be some books of interest on the small bookshelf near the door."

Thumbing through the different spines, Harry found what looked like a young adult novel about a group of teenage vampires who solved crimes. This was obviously not one of Snape's personal selections, but over the years he'd amassed a small collection of books left behind by Slytherins in the common room.

"Got one!"

"Good. Now go. I'll knock on your door when supper is ready." Snape suddenly remembered the backpack in his hands. He unzipped it and pulled out the invisibility cloak, holding it up for Harry to see. "Oh and Potter, I'll be holding onto this."

"Good. Now go. I'll knock on your door when supper is ready." Snape suddenly remembered the backpack in his hands. He unzipped it and pulled out the invisibility cloak, holding it up for Harry to see. "Oh and Potter, I'll be holding onto this." (Chapter 6)

Harry turned around to see his invisibility cloak balled up in his professor's hand. His smile immediately evaporated and he felt a surge of anger flare up inside of him. He raced toward Snape to grab his cloak.

"You can't take that, it was my dad's!" He went for the cloak, but Snape pulled it out of his reach. "Give it here!" he squealed.

"Oh no, Mr. Potter. Absolutely not," Snape turned away slightly while he folded it and put it inside his robes. "There is absolutely no reason someone your age should have a valuable and dangerous object like this. It will only get you into trouble."

The adrenaline rush pushed Harry over the edge and his emotions surged completely out of control. He launched himself at Snape, ripping and pulling at his robes, desperately trying to grab the cloak from his inside pocket.

"Give it to me you stupid git! It's mine! It's the only thing I have from my dad," he screamed as his hands and fists flailed against his professor's chest. He was grasping at the man like a rabid animal.

Snape was caught completely off guard. No student had ever dared to attack him this way-neither verbally nor physically. It took him a moment before he reacted, but then he reached down and grabbed Harry's arms tightly with both hands. He pried the boy off of him and gave him a strong shake.

"Stop it, Potter!" It was the loudest his voice had been all day. "Get control of yourself. NOW!"

The booming voice and the strong hands gripping his upper arms shocked Harry into silence and he let go of Snape's robes. His heart was racing and his eyes were wide with anger and fear. He looked like a mini madman.

Snape kept a tight grip on both of Harry's arms while he bent down to eye-level. His voice was low but dangerous and his eyes flashed with rage. "Don't you ever speak to me like that again! How dare you come at me in that manner!"

Harry's body went rigid. The adrenaline rush had gone from an energy surge of fight or flight immediately to freeze. His brain was completely shut down—he felt like he was having an out of body experience.

Snape kept a tight hold of the boy and turned him sharply to the side. With his right hand he delivered a resounding smack to the boy's backside before bringing him back in front. He pulled him close and put a finger right in his face. "That kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable."

He paused for a moment to get his bearings. The sound of the smack had echoed against the stone walls, and for a moment everything went quiet.

But before Harry could even react, Snape was dragging him to the nearest corner of the parlor. "Put your nose in the corner, Potter, and don't even think about opening your impertinent mouth." He leaned down to his ear and hissed barely above a whisper "This is your only warning-if you dare move or utter a single word before I give you permission, I promise you, you will sorelyregret it."

The smack had jolted Harry immediately back to reality. He suddenly found himself staring at the corner with a stinging rear end, Snape's words lingering in his ear. He was mortified. His face and ears went completely red with embarrassment. What the hell was I thinking, I can't believe I just attacked Snape! And I can't believe he smacked me and put me in the corner like a little kid. 

Harry was so overwhelmed with emotions that he couldn't help it, he started to cry. Quietly at first, but once the emotional floodgates opened he felt like everything he'd had bottled up inside started to pour out. He was sad, scared, angry, and lonely all at once and he couldn't control himself, he began to sob.

Snape stood behind him, still in shock. He might think Harry is an arrogant, disrespectful brat at times—but this was way out of character, even for him. Something clearly wasn't right with the boy. He tried to push away those feelings and convince himself that he'd acted justly. The boy was completely out of control-honestly-screaming and hitting a professor? There's no way he should get away with that. No, the boy clearly needed to be put in his place. He had been warned to behave himself at least half a dozen times today. He was lucky he got away with a single smack. 

Unsure of what to do with himself, Snape walked back to his armchair and picked up his tea. He tried to ignore the brat, but he was finding it extremely difficult. His own anger had faded away almost immediately and it had been replaced by nagging concern for the boy.

Snape had never been one to feel bad about doling out a well-deserved punishment—in fact, he quite relished in giving a misbehaving student their rightful comeuppance. While he lamented the fact that he was generally limited to taking house points and giving detentions, he took pride in trying to make his detentions as miserable as possible. It was his goal to sufficiently deter any student from repeating their offense— he wanted them to fear him, it made his job easier. He was of the belief that if you make a strong impression the first time, hopefully you only have to do it once. Or at least, not very often.

But this felt different. He didn't feel any satisfaction from this at all. He generally took care to be completely in control when dealing with his students, but he had been thrown off his game by Harry's unexpected outburst. He didn't regret smacking the boy—it was more than well-deserved in Snape's opinion— but he was having a hard time ignoring that there was something unusual going on with Harry. This wasn't just a boy being cheeky or rude, this was something else entirely. And it made him very uncomfortable.

Despite his best efforts, Snape caved in less than 4 minutes of Harry being in the corner. He couldn't stand to hear him cry anymore. His point had been made and he hoped it was sufficient enough for the boy to have his anger under control. Now he wanted to find out what was really going on with him.

"Come here, Mr. Potter," Snape said calmly.

Harry walked slowly out of the corner until he was standing in front of his professor. His face was red and tears were still running down his cheeks. His breath hitched loudly several times when he inhaled. He was a right mess.

Snape pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the boy. "Take a deep breath. There's no reason to work yourself into hysterics."

Not knowing what else to do, he tapped the boy on the arm and nodded at the couch. "Sit."

Harry obeyed silently, his breath still hitching every few seconds. He took his glasses off and wiped his face with the handkerchief.

Snape rapped the small table with his wand and a glass of water appeared. "Here. Drink some water. You need to calm down."

As much as Snape had tried to avoid any conversation that revolved around feelings, there was no way around it now. He took a deep breath and prepared himself before he began to speak.

"Explain yourself, Mr. Potter. Surely even you know better than to behave like that."

It wasn't the most empathetic way to start a conversation, but Snape's tone was gentle and his face was forgiving. Harry knew him well enough to recognize that he was making an effort to talk.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I just...I got really angry and before I even realized what was happening you were pulling me off of you." Harry dropped his head in shame and a tear rolled down his face.

"Eyes up, please." He waited for Harry to look up at him before he continued. "Why are you crying so hard? Surely a little smack and a few minutes in the corner haven't traumatized you to that extent."

Harry's face burned bright red at the reminder. "No, sir. I don't know. I guess there's just a lot on my mind." He could feel the emotions welling up inside of him but he was trying not to start crying again.

"It's OK to cry. You certainly have a lot of reasons to be upset. I did not punish you because of your feelings. I punished you because of the atrocious way you acted on them."

"I'm sorry, I really am."

Snape nodded in acceptance and encouraged him with a sympathetic look. "Tell me what made you so angry."

"You took my dad's cloak. It's the only thing I have from him. I don't have hardly anything from my parents and it means a lot to me." A fresh batch of tears fell from his eyes.

"I wasn't taking it from you, Potter. I was merely holding onto it for safekeeping. If you had asked me, rather than assault me, I would have explained that to you and we could have discussed it rationally." Snape scolded him gently.

"But what if I need it?" Harry asked, looking up at Snape with a pathetic look in his eyes.

"Why would a 12-year old possibly need an invisibility cloak at school? The only thing I imagine you would need it for is breaking rules and causing mischief."

"But what if someone comes after me, or I need to escape?" Harry's voice got higher and Snape could hear the anxiety behind it.

"As long as you stay where you're supposed to be and follow the rules, you will be safe inside this castle, Potter. It is only when you go out looking for trouble that you seem to find it." He arched his eyebrow and looked down at the boy with a disapproving glare.

"That's not true," Harry mumbled. "I don't go looking for trouble."

"Oh really?" Snape drawled, a smirk crossing his lips. "Do I need to remind you about all of your little adventures last year? Where shall we start? Hmmm, constantly gallivanting around the castle and out on the grounds after hours, maybe? Or perhaps, going after the Philosopher's Stone? I also believe I heard a certain rumor about a dragon?" He paused for effect and shook his head. "Honestly, Potter, I would say you have quite the reputation for breaking the rules that are meant to keep you safe."

Harry felt the heat rising in his ears again. Snape wasn't wrong about any of that, but it sounded so much worse when he put it like that.

"That's not what I meant, sir." He paused, debating whether he should continue. "I think...I think someone's trying to kill me," he said quietly.

He hadn't wanted to tell anyone without talking to Ron and Hermione first. After everything that had happened with Quirrel last year, he wasn't sure who he could trust. Snape hadn't exactly been at the top of his list of people to confide in, but he had been the one to rescue him and bring him safely to Hogwarts. And now he was taking him in. He still didn't fully trust the man, but he didn't want to hold it in any longer, the truth was eating away at him.

"Why do you think someone is trying to kill you, Mr. Potter?" Snape was careful with his tone, he was sufficiently concerned enough that he wanted the boy to be honest with him.

"Something happened last summer. Before I ran away." Harry glanced up at his professor through the top of his glasses.

Snape returned the look, keeping his face neutral. "Go on. I'm listening."

"I got a visit from a house elf called Dobby. He came to my relative's house one night and he warned me that I shouldn't come back to Hogwarts. He told me that there were people who wanted to hurt me and it wasn't safe."

Snape's blood immediately ran cold. He knew Dobby belonged to the Malfoy family and this was a very disturbing development.

"Is that why you ran away? You were afraid to come back to Hogwarts?"

"Yes, sir." Harry paused for a moment before deciding to continue. "At first I told Dobby I was still going to go back, but then he broke a bunch of stuff and embarrassed my relatives during a dinner party. They were so furious with me they locked me up and took my owl."

Snape nodded. "I see." Shit, now this all makes sense. The boy was terrified.

"When I was sitting there, locked in my room, I started worrying that if I went back, maybe it wouldn't just be me that got killed. What if other people got hurt because of me? I felt really bad that I'd dragged Ron and Hermione into everything last year, they could've been killed. I just didn't want anyone else to get hurt," he barely choked out the last sentence before tears were flowing again.

Harry hunched over his knees and buried his face in his hands as fresh tears poured down his face.

Snape felt truly terrible. When Harry hadn't shown up at the start of term, he had immediately assumed the boy was just acting out to get attention, or wanted to arrive late and make an entrance.

But when Harry didn't show up within a few days, he knew there was likely more to it. He and Dumbledore had gone to Little Whinging to find out more from his relatives. Once he'd met those vile cretins for himself, he realized there was clearly something wrong. They didn't seem concerned at all, in fact, they seemed rather glad to be rid of him. Dumbledore and McGonagall had assured him that Harry was well-taken care of there, but having grown up in an abusive home himself, he knew that no one outside could ever truly know what horrors went on inside someone else's home.

Still, he had never even considered the fact that someone had found a way to breach the blood wards and threaten Harry. Much less tell him not to return to Hogwarts. Knowing it was Dobby and the Malfoys made this a serious situation indeed. He didn't want to alarm Harry, but he would need to discuss this with Dumbledore as soon as possible.

Snape got up and sat next to Harry on the couch. He put his hand on the boy's back and patted him awkwardly a few times. "It's going to be OK, Mr. Potter. You are safe now. I can promise you that as long as you are here at Hogwarts, we will not let anyone harm you."

This was difficult for Snape. He wasn't one who ever gave comfort or sympathy, but at this moment it felt like the only thing he should do. But he was way outside of his comfort zone.

"I told you earlier that with this apprenticeship, I am taking full responsibility for you. You will be in my care, which means I will do everything to keep you safe. That said, it is going to be VERYimportant that you listen to me and follow the rules." He tapped Harry's back gently with his fingers to make sure he was paying attention. "I mean that. If you ever disobey me and put yourself at risk, I will put you over my knee and give you a proper spanking."

Snape couldn't help adding that little reminder at the end. He didn't want to appear too soft.

Unsure of what else to say, and seeing that the boy was spent, Snape brought both of his hands down on his lap and gave his own knees a peppy double tap before standing up. "Alright. Up you get, Potter. Go wash your face and freshen up and we'll have dinner. I think we've both had enough excitement for one day."

Harry stood up and Snape gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. He wasn't sure what else to say or do, he was still completely gobsmacked by what the boy had told him. He also realized there was more that the boy wasn't telling him, but it might take some time before Harry would feel comfortable to share it. He wasn't going to push it.

While Harry was in the washroom, Snape sent a message to Dumbledore telling him he wanted to speak tonight. He had planned on putting Harry to bed as early as possible and having an early night himself, but after everything he'd just learned he imagined it would be another late night.

Snape sighed to himself and rubbed his temples. Damn it, I'd give anything to have a firewhisky and an early night. No rest for the wicked.

Harry came back into the parlor a few minutes later and followed Snape to the kitchen table. A huge spread appeared (courtesy of the house elves) and the two sat down to enjoy their meal in relative silence.

As they were finishing, Snape spoke up. "You desperately need a haircut, Potter. You look like one of those ragamuffins out of a Charles Dicken's novel. I'm cutting it tomorrow, and I don't want to hear any objections." Snape said in a mock scolding tone.

He was trying to lighten the mood, but Harry was too exhausted to play along, so he just smiled weakly and replied "OK, sir."

Snape sat alone in his parlor, relaxing in his armchair by the fire and reflecting on the past two days. He rubbed one hand along his temple, trying to ease a mild headache that was no doubt a result of several sleepless nights and the effort of dealing with— and mostly suppressing—all of the emotions that were attempting to surface without his consent.

It had been an intense and draining afternoon with Harry, but thankfully the two had enjoyed a relatively calm dinner before retreating to the parlor to read quietly. Snape knew the boy must be exhausted, so at 8:30 he insisted he get ready for bed. He'd anticipated resistance and steeled himself for childish defiance, but Harry surprised him by putting up little fuss and heading to his room. His lights were out just after 9pm.

Ah, peace at last.

The Hogwarts students would be leaving the following day for Easter holiday. Snape would be busy in the morning getting them all ready and organized for their trip home, but then he'd be free for a week. It would be a welcome break that gave Snape time to get everything else done. He wanted everything with Harry's apprenticeship resolved before the students came back.

Snape desperately needed the Academy of Potion Masters (APM) to approve the apprenticeship with Harry or they would be in a very precarious place with his custody and the Ministry. He sipped a cup of tea while he played out various strategies to secure this unorthodox bond. Although he had several good contacts at the APM, knew it would ultimately never work without the approval of his mentor, Potion Master Barclay. Unfortunately just imagining this particular conversation with the man caused Snape's muscles to tense.

Master Barclay was one of the most renowned Potion Masters, not just in the UK, but in the world. He was a true academic and was highly respected for his contributions to the Wizarding World, both in terms of his research and the policies he crafted. While he could be found teaching an occasional advanced seminar, he was so devoted to his lab work and writing that he rarely trained other wizards. When he'd taken Snape on as an apprentice, it had been nearly twenty years since he'd last done so, and he hadn't taken another one since.

Although he had initially thought Snape was somewhat awkward and withdrawn, he soon found he was actually extremely focused and dedicated. The young wizard also had an extraordinary intuition that allowed him to create and innovate new potions in a way that Master Barclay had never seen. He'd found that working with Snape inspired his own passion for potions and in return, he did his best to teach him everything he knew.

Snape's apprenticeship with Master Barclay had been fruitful, but far from easy. Master Barclay, like Snape, was a perfectionist and he demanded excellence at all times, both from himself and his apprentice. But unlike Snape, he cared very much about how he was perceived by others, and he was extremely competitive by nature, which at times would lead him to become somewhat neurotic, compulsive and difficult to work with.

Although he would never admit it, there was also a small part of Master Barclay that was somewhat jealous of Snape's natural talent, but he cared enough for his young apprentice that he never let it get in the way of teaching him or nurturing his passions.

But ultimately the two were very different; Snape was driven by a desire to create and explore, while Master Barclay was concerned with cranking out data and publishing as much research as possible. He prided himself on being the preeminent Potion Master when it came to describing magical properties and characterizing interactions between ingredients. Master Barclay truly lived for the awards and the professional accolades and he derived enormous joy from being a leading contributor to the annals of the Academy of Potion Masters.

While this ambition fed his mentor, Snape had never cared for public acclaim or recognition, and in his last year of apprenticeship he began to focus less on his mentor's research, and more on his own work. He was much more interested in using his depth of knoweldge to create something new and useful.

Although Snape was well-known for being an impossible person to read, he was actually incredibly perceptive and intuitive about the world. It was this intuition that made him such a brilliant Legilimans, as well as being a talented Potion Master. His magic was not just powerful, it also allowed him to connect strongly to the world around him, whether it was other people's emotions or nature or even the potion ingredients themselves. He couldn't explain it, but it was as if he could visualize the way everything connected to the universe, he could just sense what a potion needed the same way he could see the color of the sky or smell the scent of a flower. Once he allowed himself to connect with and develop his intuition, he was able to create new potions and spells that might have taken others years of work.

When Snape had taken his apprenticeship, it was the first time he had ever had someone else so involved in his everyday life. Even if he didn't always enjoy the tedious research and micromanagement, he worked with dedication and basked in having the one-on-one attention of his mentor, a man who saw and appreciated his talents. He was eager to please and he applied himself diligently in all things, desperately hoping to gain the praise of Master Barclay. He would never have admitted it, but Master Barclay was more of a father figure than his own biological father had ever had been. He yearned for his approval and withered at his displeasure.

There were days during his apprenticeship when Master Barclay would take great interest in spending time with Snape, teaching him techniques and sharing his many insights and ideas. Snape lived for this, he soaked it up like a rain on a desert cactus. But then there were days-or even weeks- when his mentor was busy with other things and barely had time to do more than emphasize a deadline or a to-do list. Although he would never show it, this was painful for Snape. He craved the validation and when he didn't receive it, he began to pull away a bit, building walls to protect himself and his emotions.

When Snape finally finished his apprenticeship, he had already started to gain a reputation as an exceptional young Potion Master. His intuition had been nurtured, but he had also been given an extremely strong foundation on the chemical and physical properties of potions that would serve him in whatever he chose to do. He also had the admiration and respect of one of the most well-connected and admired Potion Masters, which gave him clout, especially amongst the purebloods and high-born wizards.

In the years after leaving his apprenticeship, things had taken a dark turn for Snape. Without the stabilizing relationship of his mentor, his own childhood wounds festered and he found himself falling in with the wrong crowd as he sought out opportunities outside of academics. His first job was a commission from a collective of pureblood wizards who wanted him to create bespoke potions for them for a very good fee. He thought it would be a brilliant opportunity, but it soon devolved into his personal hell.

The requests started out rather benign, but as time went on the pureblood families (many of whom turned out to be Death Eaters) wanted more from him. Always the outcast, Snape had initially thrived in the way they fawned over his skills, and it gave him the validation he was constantly seeking. He also reveled in the freedom he had to explore his own creativity without anyone giving him any boundaries; for the first time in his life, he had the time and the funding to indulge his imagination. The men had challenged him, and he loved when he not only met those challenges, but exceeded all expectations resulting in brilliant new creations.

His descent into becoming a Death Eater was slow, until all of a sudden it wasn't. He had edged the ethical boundaries at first, justifying his foray into dark magic by telling himself that knowledge and innovation were inherently amoral. He told himself it was a disservice to the wizarding world to deny any exploration of magic just because someone could potentially do harm with it. Knowledge was never inherently evil, it only became evil when someone put malicious intent behind it. But once those boundaries were blurred, they quickly disappeared completely.

And like that, Snape fell head-first into the world of Death Eaters. Once he had seen for himself how people utilized his creations to harm and torture others, he regretted it completely but he didn't know how to extricate himself. Despite winning the favor of the Dark Lord for all of his capabilities, he was horrified when he realized that his potions and spells were being used to their most sadistic potential. It was that which eventually led him back to Hogwarts to seek the counsel and redemption of Dumbledore.

It was reflecting on these mistakes that filled Snape with deep shame and regret. It made him hesitant to reach out to his former mentor. Although he had been in a respectable position as Hogwart's Potion Master for many years now, he was still embarrassed that he had allowed himself to go down such a dark path right out of his apprenticeship. He worried that Master Barclay would be ashamed of him and find him unworthy or incapable of training an apprentice of his own. Even though it had been fifteen years since he'd been an apprentice, he was still desperate for his mentor's approval.

Just as he was deep in thought, the floo flared to life and Albus Dumbledore's voice broke the silence.

"Good evening, Severus, might I step through?"

"Of course, Albus," Snape replied, standing up from his chair to greet the Headmaster.

"I'm sorry it is so late, it was quite a busy day indeed" Dumbledore replied, stepping through the flames and brushing the ash off of his turquoise robes. "May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the sofa.

"Please, sit. Can I get you a drink? Some tea, or perhaps a firewhisky?" Snape offered, knowing that Dumbledore didn't really drink alcohol but hoping that he might surprise him so they could both enjoy a bit of booze to calm the nerves.

"No, thank you, Severus. I won't be long." Dumbledore sat on the sofa and stroked his beard for a moment absentmindedly. "How's Harry doing?"

Snape sighed audibly before answering. "It was a long afternoon. He finally explained to me why he ran away. It turns out that over the summer he was approached by a certain house elf who told him it would be too dangerous to return to Hogwarts. This was the impetus that led to him leave. He was terrified, Albus."

Dumbledore paused for a moment to soak in these words. He continued to stroke his beard before responding "I don't understand how this could be, Harry should have been protected by the blood wards."

"Yes, well, apparently those blood wards didn't apply to house elves." Snape crossed his legs and sat back in his armchair, feeling rather irritated that Dumbledore had missed this. "Harry told me it was Dobby who came to see him, the elf that works for the Malfoys."

Now it was Dumbledore's turn to be shocked. "What did this house elf say to him?" he asked, the concern in his voice audible.

"He told Harry that if he returned to Hogwarts, he would be killed." Snape sipped his tea, feeling a bit smug but keeping a neutral expression on his face while he waited for a response.

"Dear me, that is very concerning indeed," Dumbledore said, the lines on his face getting deeper as he considered the implications. "Have you heard anything on your end from Lucius Malfoy or anyone else?"

"Not a whisper. And I'm quite surprised," Snape responded, putting the teacup again to his lips before continuing. "Clearly, whatever Malfoy had planned could not go forward with Potter on the run. It appears Dobby's warning put a stopper in their plans."

Nodding his head in agreement, Dumbledore put a hand on his face, rubbing his chin gently as he was locked in thought. "I suppose it is more important than ever that we finalize this apprenticeship with Harry. Our first priority has to be to keep him safe while we investigate who exactly is targeting him and how."

"Yes, Albus, I agree completely. I can't say that I am shocked to hear that Malfoy is behind this. Nonetheless, we will need to tread carefully. My first priority is to keep Potter safe, and the sooner the better."

"Have you reached out to the APM?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes focusing on Snape.

"No, not yet. I plan to do that tomorrow. I will try to set up a meeting with Barclay, but I'm still very concerned about how he will react."

In truth, Snape dreaded the conversation. Although they had crossed paths casually at various conferences and at the APM annual meetings, they generally kept to simple pleasantries and Snape had never made an effort to confide in or explain himself to his former mentor.

"I will write him a letter tonight and request a meeting," Snape said calmly, not letting Dumbledore see his fear and apprehension. "Hopefully he can meet with me in the next few days, I want this all resolved before the students get back."

"I couldn't agree more. Do keep me updated, and if you need my help for any reason, all you need to do is ask."

"Thank you, Albus. I think we'll be fine. I just hope you can convince the Ministry to sign the paperwork if I am able to procure the support of the APM."

"Don't worry about that at all, Severus, there are a lot of people I can call upon on my end as long as you have the Academy's support on yours."

The two sat silently for a moment before Dumbledore got up again. "It appears you have everything under control, so I will take my leave now. Do not hesitate to reach out if you need my help."

Snape stood out of politeness to wish the old wizard goodbye. "Thank you, Albus. Goodnight."

Moments later, his parlor was empty again. Snape debated going straight to bed, but he decided he should first sit down at his desk and write to Master Barclay. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he also knew it was his only choice to get the apprenticeship finalized.

Just as he was about to sit down at his desk, he felt a sudden urge to check on Harry. He slinked quietly down the hallway and peaked into the door. Harry was fast asleep, laying on his stomach with one foot hanging off the side of the bed. Snape breathed a sigh of relief and shut the door quietly behind him before returning to his desk to write. He pulled out a piece of parchment and dipped his quill.

Please Merlin, I hope this works out. 

The next morning Snape woke early, the burden of his giant to-do list weighing heavily on him even in sleep. He dressed himself in a fresh pair of teaching robes and made himself a cup of tea, moving quietly in his quarters and trying not to wake Harry.

At quarter to 8, Snape knocked softly on Harry's door and peaked his head through. Harry lifted himself onto his elbows and turned his head toward the noise, squinting to focus his eyes on his professor.

"Don't get up, Potter," Snape said as Harry fumbled to grab his glasses from the bedside table.

"The students are leaving for their holidays today. I need to go to the Great Hall for breakfast and then take care of a few things with my prefects. I'll leave breakfast for you in the kitchen. I will be back early in the afternoon as soon as I've gotten all of the students on the train."

Harry was still extremely groggy. He pushed himself into a sitting position before speaking. "Oh, OK, sure."

"Take your time and sleep more if you need to. After you eat breakfast, you can just read in the parlor or take care of things here in your room."

Snape wasn't really sure what to do with the boy. He desperately needed to take care of some of his House Master duties and he prayed Harry could entertain himself and stay out of trouble for a few hours.

"I won't be gone long. When I return we'll discuss our plans for the next week, we may need to take a few trips out of the castle."

Harry's ears perked up with this. He was already tired of sitting around in the dungeons all day, he was dying to get some fresh air and a change of scenery. "Great! Where are we going?"

"We'll discuss things when I return. For the time being I expect you to stay in these quarters and entertain yourself. You are welcome to borrow any books from my personal library, but if you do, you should treat them with great care and respect." He gave Harry his stern professor face.

"Yes, sir, I will."

"Good. I'll only be gone a few hours, but it's important you stay inside, Potter. I don't want you wandering around the castle while I'm gone, do you understand?" Snape put extra effort into giving him an intimidating glare.

Harry nodded.

"Use your words, I don't want there to be any confusion."

"Yes, sir," Harry said before giving him a yawn and laying back down on the bed.

"Get some rest, I'll be back shortly." And with that, Snape closed the door. He worried slightly that he was leaving Harry alone in his quarters, but he hoped the boy was smart enough not to cause too much trouble and besides, he had far too much to do today to worry about it.

Harry had fallen back to sleep after his short conversation with Snape. He was drifting in and out of that twilight sleep, hovering between the dream world and reality, vaguely aware of both but allowing his mind to float freely. It had been a long time since he'd felt comfortable and safe enough to do that.

When he finally dragged himself out of bed, it was nearly 10:30am, later than he'd ever been able to sleep but he had desperately needed it. He was glad he'd had the morning to himself and by the time he put on his clothes and washed his face he was feeling quite refreshed.

He walked to the kitchen and saw a note on the table letting him know there was juice, milk and fruit in the fridge. There was a also bowl of porridge on the table and a plate with eggs and bacon, both of which had been charmed to stay warm. He went to the fridge and pulled out the bowl of fresh fruit and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice. He enjoyed a leisurely breakfast-it was a real treat compared to his usual mornings and he felt a bit like a king.

Having gorged himself on everything at the table, Harry felt stuffed. He had nothing to do, he decided to lay himself down on the couch in front of the fire. Even though it was April, the dungeons were still quite chilly, and Snape kept the fireplace going nearly all of the time. Harry was content just to lay there and relax, enjoying the feeling of a full belly, the warmth of the fire and the comfort of the cozy couch.

After a brief post-breakfast kip, Harry got up and wandered around the parlor, pulling out books and running his hands along the shelves. It didn't take long before Harry started to feel restless and bored. He knew he should just sit quietly and read his Vampire Detective book but he wasn't really in the mood for reading. He wanted to do something.

At first he went back to his room and considered unpacking his trunk, but after opening it and looking inside, he frowned to himself and shut the lid. He wandered back into the parlor.

This time he sat down in Snape's armchair. He put both of his arms on the armrests, sitting straight up and pretending to be Professor Snape. He chucked to himself as he imagined sneering at some student. "10 points from Gryffindor for being the stupidest student in my class" he barked out loud, amusing himself with his best Snape impression.

Harry looked at the clock, it was now 11:30am. He was bored out of his mind and knew Snape still wouldn't be back for a while. He got up from the armchair and paced around the parlor for another minute before throwing himself again onto the couch. He let out a long annoyed sigh. "Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh." He was so SO bored.

He knew Snape had warned him not to leave his quarters, but what did he really expect? He had to know that he couldn't leave a curious 12 year-old boy alone for that many hours with nothing to do. Especially when that boy was Harry Potter.

Harry was picking at a loose thread in the couch he suddenly remembered his invisibility cloak. His heart raced a little bit and he swallowed hard, feeling a small shiver of fear just imagining how Snape would react if he found out Harry had tried to find—much less take back—his cloak. But that same feeling also gave him a thrill. The small adrenaline rush he got from just thinking about this little adventure made him feel good and it seemed to quiet the anxiety that he never seemed to get rid of.

He sat up on the couch and tried to think. Where would Snape hide it? He had put it inside his robes last night before that little blow-up. Maybe it was in his room? Perhaps it was still tucked into the pockets of one of his robes.

A small voice warned Harry to let it go. But the euphoric high he felt when he imagined getting his cloak back, and maybe even leaving the quarters to see his friends, quickly overpowered the rational part of his brain and the voice disappeared.

For Harry, the cloak was more than just a fantastic tool for sneaking around-over (although he loved it for that reason too). Over the last year it had become almost a security blanket to him. It had kept him safe those months out on the street, and the fact that it had belonged to his father made him feel an extra sense of comfort when he was wrapped up in it. He knew he was too old to sleep with a teddy bear or a blanket, but the feeling of being cocooned in its soft, silky magic added the sense of calm it gave him. He sometimes even imagined that the cloak was his father hugging and holding him.

Harry glanced at the clock once more, trying to figure out exactly how much time he had. Maybe an hour? Having made up his mind to get the cloak, he walked down the hallway to Snape's room. He moved slowly and kept his ears open for any sound of the man returning to his quarters. His own heartbeat pounded loudly in his head, but instead of stopping him, it just emboldened him.

He reached out for the door handle and pulled it down slowly before giving the door a gentle push. To his surprise, the door opened. I can't believe he didn't lock this. Is he daft?

Harry took a few steps into the darkness. Pulling his wand out of his waistband he cast a Lumos and light filled the room. It was mostly what Harry expected- simple, elegant, and filled with dark wood and warm fabrics. It was odd to see that while the room was certainly clean and well-organized, there was still evidence that it was being lived in. Small touches of Snape peppered the room. There was an old leather-bound book with a bookmark sticking out next to an empty water glass on the right-hand bedside table. A pair of well-worn slippers lay on the floor near the end of the bed. One of the doors to the large wooden wardrobe was a centimeter ajar, suggesting Snape had been rushing this morning when he got dressed.

Harry walked over to the wardrobe and pulled open the door on the right. He paused for a moment when he got the faintest smell of Snape; it was an earthy scent, like when rain fell in the forest, a combination of sandalwood and cedar with a hint of fresh grass and the tiniest bit of spice. He'd never thought about how Snape smelled before, but as soon as the air hit him he recognized it immediately. The smell, which came from standing for hours over cauldrons, penetrated his robes. Harry didn't know what compelled him, but he ran his hands across the dozen or so identical black robes, putting his face next to them and breathing them in.

He felt embarrassed as soon as he'd done it. Stop being a weirdo, just get the damn cloak and get out of here. 

Harry opened both doors to the wardrobe as far as they would go and stepped back for a moment to look over everything. In a very Snape-like fashion, everything was organized and its place. Nearly all of his clothes were black, except for a few white collared shirts and a few sweaters in various shades of gray and green. His belts and ties hung from a modified hanger, and there was a row of nearly identical black shoes and boots on the bottom.

On a shelf above the hanging clothes, a gorgeous hand-carved wooden box drew Harry's attention and he reached for it. Opening it up, he found the few family heirlooms Snape had inherited from his mother's side; two pairs of beautiful silver cufflinks, one with a Celtic knot and another with the Prince family crest, and an expensive old watch with a face made from mother of pearl. Harry closed the box gently and quickly replaced it, sensing that those were very personal items. He reminded himself that it was rude to snoop for the sake of snooping.

Harry couldn't see back very far on the shelf because of its height, so he stood on the bottom edge of the wardrobe and ran his hand along the top shelf. He passed over a few piles of folded clothes and towels. And then he felt it. There was no mistaking the silky magical feel of his cloak and he felt his stomach flutter in excitement as he wrapped his hand around it and pulled it down.

A huge smile crossed his face and he was filled with an immediate warmth and sense of accomplishment. I got it! I can't believe he didn't hide this better. He shut the doors to Snape's wardrobe tightly and rushed out, closing the heavy bedroom door quietly behind him.

That was so easy, Harry thought to himself as he wrapped himself in the cloak. He glanced at the clock a final time before heading out the front door into the empty hallways of the dungeon.

Snape sat quietly at the staff table and observed the students in the Great Hall. Although generally a tea drinker, he poured himself a generous cup of coffee hoping it would give him an extra bit of energy. The last few days had been draining and he still had not had the chance to get more than a few hours of sleep.

He wasn't a morning talker. He was never known for idle chatter, but he was especially not fond of anyone who tried to speak to him or engage in conversation before 10am. Preferably noon.

Snape looked down over the students. They were much more animated than usual this morning as they got ready to head home for the Easter holidays. Just looking at them smiling and bouncing around made him want to gag. He settled instead for an eye-roll.

He took another sip of his coffee, trying not to grimace at its bitterness, and projected a look that warned he was not in a mood to be trifled with.

Unaffected by his scowl and the obvious disdain for the energy that surrounded him, Professor McGonagall turned to him and said, "How's Harry getting along, Severus? What do you have planned for the week?"

None of your business you nosey old witch, he thought to himself. He wore a look of pure contempt, and after a brief pause and dramatic breath to telegraph his displeasure, he shot his eyes at her and replied. "He was breathing last I checked. But if you're so interested, please be assured I'd more than happy to have you take him off my hands."

McGonagall let out a huff. "Honestly, Severus, I just wanted to make sure the two of you were going to be alright. I do care for the boy, you know."

Snape decided not to dignify that with a response. Of course she cared, but he was the one who was taking all of the responsibility for the boy. He was the one balancing so many roles and was now being forced to take care of the 12 year-old brat all by himself.

He let the silence hang in the air while he took another sip from his coffee. "He's fine, he's resting. I have yet to torture him or remove his vital organs."

With that, he narrowed his eyes on the Slytherin table where he saw several fourth years giggling to one another. Recognizing this as a sure sign of mischief, he scanned down the table until he saw the first years hiccupping out multi-colored bubbles.

"Excuse me," Snape said, setting his cup down as he stood up from the staff table. Within the blink of an eye he was down at the Slytherin table. He bent down behind the fourth-year ring leaders and muttered something so low that only they could hear it. He flicked his wand and the first years stopped hiccuping.

Whatever he'd said, it had killed the jovial mood at the table. Hearing the ominous words in their ears, the fourth years' faces blanched and they all went silent, several heads dropping down while they slowly poked at their plates and brought food to their mouths. The entire table stayed silent as Snape stood back up, smoothed his hands down his robes and walked with brisk, purposeful steps out of the Great Hall.

It had been a harmless prank, but Snape refused to tolerate any nonsense this morning. A collective sigh of relief came over the table as soon as he'd stepped out of the Great Hall.

While the students finished their breakfast, Snape returned to his office, readying himself to do a dorm inspection and make sure that he had accounted for each of his Slytherins and where they were going. He also generally made time to speak with any students who were struggling academically so that he could give them a stern talking to before they left. He hoped that giving them a bit of a scare before break, it would give them plenty of time to reflect over the holidays on how they could improve when they returned.

The Hogwarts Express would leave at 12:30pm, and Snape had roughly 3.5 hours to run all of his checks, meet with his prefects and struggling students, and ensure each and every one of his little snakes was safely on the way home. It would be a busy morning, but he held onto the fact that he would be free of the dunderheads in a few short hours.

Having wrapped himself up in his invisibility cloak, Harry poked his head out of the front door. Seeing that the hallway was empty, he slipped through the door and allowed it to close quietly behind him. He wandered through the hallways for several minutes before realizing he didn't really have a plan.

He felt free. With his invisibility cloak wrapped around him, he felt safe and happy, and he just let himself walk around the castle, soaking it all in.

He desperately wanted to see Ron and Hermione, so he made his way to Gryffindor Tower. He knew he couldn't go into the dorm, but he hoped maybe to catch sight of them coming in or out. He didn't know the password, and he also knew that if he tried to get in he would probably cause havoc, so he just sat down against the wall next to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

It had felt like ages in the cold corridor before he heard the Prefects calling for everyone to line up by year. As the portrait swung open, he heard the headcount as each student stepped through hole into the hallway.

Everyone seemed happy and excited. Harry watched in envy as they giggled and prodded at each other, making their way down the halls. He waited patiently to see Ron and Hermione.

As the 1st years finished coming through, Harry sat up straighter, holding his breath and watching each person who climbed through, hoping it would be one of his friends.

Seamus came first, followed by Neville (who tripped and stumbled as he stepped through, and then looked around nervously to see if anyone noticed). Finally, Harry heard two familiar voices.

"Are you mental? I'm not planning on doing anything but sleeping all break," he heard Ron say as he his head peaked through the portrait hole.

"Honestly, Ron, you could do so much better if you took this time to read ahead. We're going to be 3rd years soon, which means our OWLS are only 2 years away. We can't afford to slack off during the holidays."

"Give it a rest, Hermione." Ron said, as he rolled his eyes, waiting for Hermione to step all the way out.

Harry's heart jumped in his chest- he was SO happy to see them. He missed them so much and he wanted nothing more than to talk with them and catch up and laugh like they used to. But he knew he couldn't. So instead, he just followed them. If he couldn't engage directly, at least he could look at them and listen to their conversation and feel a part of it that way.

"I hope my mom cooks Shephard's pie," he heard Ron say. "It's my absolutely favorite and no one makes it as good as her."

"Really, Ron? Is that all you can think about?" Hermione lifted her chin up slightly and continued walking.

"Food is the best part of going home. Well, that and not having to wake up for classes. I'm just planning to sleep and eat as much as I can."

"You'll never get ahead if you think that way, Ron," Hermione said, dripping with indignation.

"I also heard my dad has been rebuilding this muggle car. It sounds SO wicked! I reckon once he finishes it, he'll be able to make it fly, how freaking cool is that!?"

"There are rules and laws about these things, Ron. I'd hope your father knows the rules, what with him working at the Ministry and all. When I get home, we're going to plan our summer holiday in France. We're going to travel around and visit sights outside of Paris. I can't wait to see the Matisse museum and the places where Monet painted. We're also planning to visit the ancient city of Carcassonne. I can't wait."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You're going to spend the holiday planning for an educational holiday? Blimey, Hermione, don't you ever just relax?"

"I enjoy learning, Ron. And travelling and seeing new things is the best way to learn."

Harry followed them the entire way until they were waiting to get on the Hogwarts Express. He'd been thrilled to see them at first, but after seeing how happy they were, he suddenly experienced a deep sense of sadness at realizing that they seemed...normal. Did his absence mean nothing to them? It was as though they were perfectly happy living in a world without him. He'd hoped he'd hear them talking about him and how much they missed him-or at least, he'd see them miserable and unable to function without him.

He felt really sad. Maybe they didn't miss him at all.

As he watched the students loading onto the Hogwarts Express by year, he decided to make his way back to Snape's quarters. He knew the man would return as soon as all of his students were safely on the train.

Harry hustled through the halls and down to the dungeons. Thankfully the door opened when he pressed on it, and he flew in, closing the door behind him as he gasped for air.

He took off his invisibility cloak and folded it neatly as he made his way back to Snape's room. He quickly darted inside, opened the wardrobe, and pushed the cloak deep into the top shelf where he'd found it. After closing up the wardrobe, he quickly left Snape's room, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

Harry was still breathing heavily, both from running to get back and from the adrenaline rush of what he'd done. He found it difficult to sit still, but he grabbed his book and sat on the couch, taking deep breaths and willing himself to calm down.

He scanned and turned the pages, but after about 10 minutes he realized that he didn't remember a single word he'd read. His mind had been on Ron and Hermione and he couldn't concentrate on anything else. Had they really forgotten him so quickly? He missed them desperately, but it seemed to him that they didn't miss him at all.

Five more slow minutes went by as Harry laid on the couch, holding the book that he wasn't quite reading. And then, he heard the unmistakable click of the door.

Harry shot up on the couch, book in his lap, and turned toward his professor.

"Good to see you sitting quietly, Potter, I was afraid I'd return to find my quarters in complete shambles."

Harry smiled nervously. "Yes, sir. I was just reading." He felt his heart thumping in his ears, his adrenaline surging again with the lie. He subconsciously wiped the sweat off of his brow with his sleeve. Act cool, he doesn't suspect anything.

Snape removed his outer teaching robes and walked through the parlor toward his room without speaking another word to Harry. He felt relieved to find the boy sitting quietly on the couch.

When he reached his room, something felt...off. There was nothing out of place, per se, but Snape just got the sense that it wasn't exactly as he'd left it. ˆ He opened his wardrobe to hang up his outer robes. Everything seemed to be in place. He reached up on the shelf and saw the invisibility cloak still folded in the space where he left it. I'm probably being paranoid. Harry knows he shouldn't be in here. Let it go.

Taking a deep breath, he removed his cufflinks slowly—these were silver snakes with green gem-stone eyes—and reached for the box on the shelf. He deposited them carefully in the box and then replaced it on the shelf. He closed his wardrobe again and walked to his washroom to freshen up for lunch.

He carefully folded up each cuff before rolling his sleeves midway up his forearms. He rinsed his hands first in the warm water and then splashed it onto his face. He stared at himself in the mirror. He never loved the way he looked but he could see the dark circles under his eyes and even he had to admit he looked more tired than usual.

He dried his hands and face on a clean towel and breathed out all of his stress from the morning. Looking down and seeing the Death Eater tattoo on his left arm, he unrolled that sleeve until it was covered again.

Snape walked back to the parlor, stopping in front of Harry on the couch. "Did you have a productive morning?" Snape asked, rather sarcastically.

"Not really. I slept for a while, had breakfast, and I've just been reading." Harry responded, not making eye-contact. It wasn't a complete lie. He had done all of those things. He just happened to omit the part about where he'd snuck into Snape's room, stolen his invisibility cloak, wandered around the castle, and then returned before he got caught. He felt his heart quicken and he wondered if Snape could tell he was lying.

"I'm amazed that you could behave yourself for so long," he looked down at Harry, trying to read his face for any signs of deception. Harry smiled up innocently at him. Snape stared into his eyes, playing a visual game of chicken with him until finally Harry looked away. Satisfied, Snape said, "Get up, Potter, let's eat."

Harry leapt up and ran toward the kitchen, leaving his book open and laying on the couch.

As soon as they sat down, Snape tapped his wand on the table and a large amount of food appeared from the kitchens. "We'll take our meals in the Great Hall when we've finalized everything. For now, we'll eat here."

Harry nodded and began serving himself rather large helpings of potatoes and roast chicken.

"Take some vegetables, Potter," Snape said to him. "You need the vitamins."

Harry reached out to grab a small spoon of green beans. He placed about three on his plate when he heard Snape clear his throat and throw him a disapproving glare. "More, Potter. Don't try my patience or I'll see that you get nothing but a plate full of broccoli for dinner."

Harry scooped another spoonful of green beans onto his plate. He didn't dislike them, he would just rather save room for the things he enjoyed most.

Once again, they passed their meal in relative silence. A few times Snape had paused to admonish Harry on his atrocious table manners. "Keep your mouth closed when you chew, Potter" or "Don't shove so much into your mouth at once, the food isn't going anywhere." Snape honestly felt like he was eating lunch in a barn. He would have to work on that, clearly no one had ever taught Harry what real manners were.

As they were finishing, Snape clasped his hands together and laid them on the table. "As I mentioned, we will need to take some trips out of the castle over the next week."

He waited for Harry to put down his cutlery and look at him. "I'm assuming you don't have your books for 2nd year?"

"No, sir." Harry replied, running his finger along the edge of the table.

"Yes, well, we'll need to take care of that as soon as possible. We'll also need to get you the things you'll need for your apprenticeship. Some new robes are in order, as you'll no longer be wearing your Gryffindor robes. And judging by the rags you've been in over the last few days I think you could probably use some new clothes as well."

"It's fine, sir, I can make do."

"I don't think so, Potter. You're my apprentice and you're under my care. How you look and how you act reflects directly on me. I'll not have you looking like a common street urchin. As such, I'd prefer if you looked a little less...tragic." Snape sneered as he looked the boy up and down.

"As for other matters, we will be taking a trip to meet my mentor, Potion Master Barclay in the coming days. We will need his blessing and support for the apprenticeship bond. I hope I do not need to emphasize how important it is that you behave yourself when meeting him."

"No, sir, I'll be good." Harry hated being talked to like a toddler, but he was so excited about getting out of the castle that he'd say anything to keep Snape happy.

"Very well. Clean yourself up, we'll go to Diagon Alley to do some shopping this afternoon. I don't want you meeting Master Barclay looking like you've just stumbled out of a homeless shelter."

Harry was feeling energized. He was still riding his high from getting away with his little outing earlier, and he was thrilled to be going out for the afternoon. He'd never been a huge fan of shopping, per se, but anything was better than sitting around the castle with nothing to do.

Once the two reconvened in the parlor, Snape rapped Harry on the head with his wand, placing a disillusionment charm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Harry complained, rubbing the top of his head and scowling at Snape.

"Quit your whining, it was just a charm to conceal your appearance. I don't want to spend my afternoon having the paparazzi following around our famous Hogwarts celebrity," Snape replied dryly.

Harry gave him a disapproving look, "You could have warned me," he said, adding "you stupid git" under his breath.

"Mind your cheek," Snape said with a change in his tone that sent a warning,"It would be very inconvenient to have to delay our trip so that we could make time for you to write lines or stand in the corner."

"Sorry, sir."

Holding Harry's arm with one hand and grabbing a handful of floo powder in the other, Snape tossed the powder into the flame, stepped in and yelled "Diagon Alley."

Snape was on a mission. They stopped first at Flourish and Blotts and picked up all of the books for both the 2nd and 3rd year curriculum. On top of that, Snape browsed the potions section and grabbed a few more books on potion making that he thought would be useful for Harry with his apprenticeship. He also got a few more advanced textbooks for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was hoping to add this into his curriculum nearly as much as potions.

Next they stopped in to an apothecary to buy some more tools for Harry. Snape had nearly everything one would need for brewing in his collection, but he wanted Harry to have a set of his own tools and a few nice cauldrons. Snape remembered how excited he was when he bought his supplies as an apprentice. He picked up a gorgeous leather toolkit that held forcepts and blunt dissectors, shiny new scalpels and knives for dicing, small spoons in different sizes, stirrers of different lengths and materials, a scale, a mortar/pestle, and a collection of small beakers and glass containers. Snape was hoping that having his own, brand-new tools would encourage Harry in his brewing.

Harry was impressed by all of the little things that Snape was buying for him. Snape had taken his time looking at each tool before giving his approval; he wanted Harry to have the best and most useful tools he would need. As excited as he was, Harry still wasn't sure how he felt knowing he'd be spending so much time learning Potions, but he had to admit that getting all of the neat little items excited him. He had offered to go to Gringotts to get out his money to pay for it all, but Snape was insistent that this was his responsibility and didn't want to hear about it again.

Their next stop was buying new clothes. Harry dreaded this. He felt embarrassed about his hand-me-down clothes, and although he'd always wanted to have new things, the fact that Professor Snape had noticed the terrible state of his clothes and was the one buying them for him felt utterly humiliating.

"Good afternoon, sirs," the man said as they entered into "Every Wizard's Wonderful Wardrobe."

Snape nodded at the man in greeting. "My ward here has outgrown his clothes, so we will need to buy several sets of basics."

"Of course, sir. We'll get the measurements first, of course. Over 'ere, lad, stand on this stool." He called out to Harry who was hovering several feet away and sulking. After Snape shot him a look, he dragged his feet unenthusiastically toward the man.

Snape grabbed him as he walked past and whispered in his ear "Quit sulking. If you don't adjust your attitude, I assure you, I will find somewhere and I will do it for you. Understood?"

Harry's ears turned red and he nodded his head, forcing a smile on his face as he walked to the salesman.

Harry stood on the stool with his arms out wide while the man's magical tape measure flew around his body and took all of his measurements, a quill and parchment hovering nearby to jot the numbers down. Within a minute, the tape measure was finished wrapping around Harry and the measurements were completed.

"That's it, lad, you can step down," the friendly salesman said to Harry, offering a hand out to help him get down from the stool. "What all will you be needing today?"

Harry turned toward Snape and shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't know. Snape quickly took control of the situation and began listing items to the salesman. "We'll need several pairs of trousers- 2 pairs of jeans, one khaki, one grey wool, and two pairs of black dress trousers. For shirts, he'll need eight short sleeve t-shirts, two long sleeved, and four dress shirts: two white, one light blue, and one black. For formal wear he'll need two dark waistcoats and a formal suit jacket to match. For the summer, two pairs of casual shorts- one khaki, one navy, two pairs of athletic shorts and a bathing suit. He'll also need four wool sweaters. A brown belt and a black belt. Eight pairs of dark dress socks, five pairs of athletic socks. Two sets of summer pajamas and a set of warmer ones for winter. Oh, and 10 pairs of underwear."

The magic quill and parchment had taken everything down.

Snape glanced over at Harry. "Take a moment and let him know what your color/style preferences are. I've already detailed the important ones. Whatever you want for your t-shirts, pajamas, shorts, and underwear is up to you."

Harry blushed slightly. The salesman handed him a small book that showed the different styles and colors and he picked out what he wanted.

"He will also require a winter coat, a plain scarf, mittens, a woolen hat, and two thick pairs of woolen socks."

"Yes, sir, we'll add those to the list. Anything else?"

"No, that will be sufficient. We will come back in a few hours to collect them." Snape said and handed him a bag full of galleons and sickles. "We'll need them today so I hope that is sufficient to cover the cost of a rush order."

"No problem, sir. We'll 'ave it read in no time."

Snape nodded again and turned to Harry. "Let's go," he said with a firm push between his shoulder blades.

Harry was glad that Snape hadn't made a big deal out getting the clothes. Snape's matter of fact way of doing business made him feel less like a charity case. He was actually kind of excited to have brand new clothes fitted just for him.

After a few hours in the different stores, trying things on and buying supplies, Snape had taken a few moments to stop in to a few other specialty stores to see if he could get some ingredients he needed for his own potion's store. This bored Harry to no end, and after a while, his patience started to wear thin.

"Aren't we done yet?" Harry whined at their third apothecary and herbalist shop of the day.

Snape shot him a dark look. "Stop whinging. We still have a few more places to go." He paid the man at the counter and grabbed his bags, shrinking them and placing them into his robes. "Honestly, Potter, you sound like a toddler."

"I do not. We've just been shopping for ages and my feet are tired."

"That's enough. Keep your mouth shut unless you have something important to contribute, lest I feel compelled to cast a silencing spell," he said with a hint of acid in his voice.

Snape was annoyed at the whining, but after hearing Harry's complaint, he glanced down at the boy's feet and realized that his shoes were in just as bad of a state as the rest of his ratty clothes. Which reminded him, Harry should get new shoes as well.

Snape paused in front of a shoe store. He held the door open and gestured to Harry to go ahead. "Get in, Potter."

Although he refused to show it on his face--he didn't want Snape to know just how pathetic he really was-- Harry was actually really excited. He didn't remember ever getting brand new shoes. And just looking at all of the shoes on the wall put him in a state of complete awe.

"Pick out a pair of trainers. Then you'll need a pair of dress shoes, and a pair of black lace-ups you'll use in the lab. What size are you?"

Harry didn't know his size. He'd never had proper shoes that fit. "I don't know, sir?"

Within 15 seconds, a young witch came out to help them. "Hi, my name is Marley, how can I help you gentlemen today."

"We need a few pair of shoes for him"-Snape gestured toward Harry-"he needs to be measured."

"Come over here, love," she said, tapping on the bench where she wanted him to sit. She pulled out her wand and ran it across the underside of Harry's feet from toe to heel. He giggled a bit as it tickled. "Size 36 I'd say. What kind of shoes are you looking for?"

Harry jumped up and went to the wall of trainers. They were all so cool. After picking a few of them up, he decided on the ones he loved best and brought them to the nice sales lady. This particular trainer had colored stripes going down the sides that changed color depending on how fast you ran in them. They looked so stylish and amazing, and Harry had to have them.

"These, can you get these in my size?"

"Sure, love. Anything else?"

Snape walked to the wall across from the trainers and pulled two different shoes off the shelf. One was a simple black dress shoe and the other a sturdy lace-up boots that could withstand trampling around in the forest or having dangerous potions dropped on them. "These two as well."

"I'll be right back, then," and she disappeared into the back of the store. She returned a minute later with three boxes in her hands. "Try 'em on, love, see what you think."

Harry went for the trainers first and they felt amazing. He walked up and down the store looking at himself in the mirror and smiling as he jumped up and down in them. They felt so comfortable!

"Wow, these are wicked! Can we please get these?" He looked up and pleaded with Snape.

"Yes. Now try on the other two pair so we can get a move on." Harry was less enthusiastic about the dress shoes but his black lace-up boots seemed pretty neat. They all fit really well and didn't look to bad, so he gave Snape his approval and they walked out of the store with 3 new boxes of shoes shrunken into Snape's wizard robes.

Their final stop was at Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to pick up new robes for Harry. No longer a Hogwarts student, he would need several sets of robes that identified him as a Potion's apprentice. Like academic regalia in the Muggle World, the colors and markings on the robe are coordinated based on the subject the student were studying and title of the wearer. This was usually a big deal in the life of a new apprentice, but Harry was so young and his understanding of this so limited, Snape thought he would share in some of the rituals and understandings down the road, when Harry could understand and appreciate it better.

"We require new robes for my apprentice in Potions," Snape said to the man in the robe shop.

After another half hour, Harry left the store with several casual robes and two sets of dress robes. As potions fell under the "healing sciences" his robes were black and adorned with green velvet trim. Unlike the Potion Master's formal robes, which had several dark green velvet stripes on each shoulder, his were plain black but bore a small insignia of the Academy of Potion Masters on the left side embroidered in green and gold thread. His everyday robes were made of a thick fire and chemical resistant fabric and were plain black, other than the green crest which identified him as an apprentice.

By the time they'd left the robe shop, Harry was seriously knackered. He was grateful for all of his new clothes and books and supplies, but as the day wore, the more he kept thinking about Ron and Hermione and his emotions began to bubble to the surface.

"I'm tired," Harry groaned as they left the robe store.

"Well I apologize for inconveniencing you so much today," Snape responded sarcastically, irritated that the boy dared to complain after he'd spend the entire day trying to take care of his every need.

The two walked back toward the clothing shop to pick up the clothes they'd ordered earlier. No words were exchanged as Snape walked in the door, picked up the bundle, shrank it down and put it into his robes.

They returned to Snape's quarters by floo a few minutes later.

As soon as they came through the fireplace, Harry threw himself on the couch and laid his head on its arm, letting out a dramatic sigh. He kicked his shoes off and curled his feet up on the cushions, closing his eyes briefly.

Snape pulled out the various packages from his robes and enlarged them again, setting them down on the parlor floor. "Take these to your room, Potter, and put them away carefully."

"But I'm tired," he whined, not moving from the couch.

Snape walked over to the couch and grabbed his arm, pulling him up to his feet. He stared into his face before saying "Take them to your room. Now."

Harry jerked his arm out of Snape's grasp. "Stop! Jeez, cant you just give me a minute."

Both of them were exhausted from a long day, and Harry especially had been thinking about Ron and Hermione all day, fueling his own anger and disappointment.

Snape shot a hard look at Harry, "You do NOT tell me to stop. Now take these things to your room and put them away properly. Right. Now."

Harry sighed audibly and picked up the packages, pushing his door open loudly with his foot. He dropped the packages on his floor before turning around and slamming his bedroom door behind him.

Anger boiled inside of Snape and he stormed toward Harry's room, throwing open the door. "You do NOT slam doors here. EVER." He stood in the doorway, practically shaking with rage.

"I don't know what your problem is, Potter, but I've spent all day trying to do things. FOR. YOU. And how did you repay my kindness? Was it by thanking me? No, it was not. Or perhaps you let me know how appreciative you were by not whining or complaining all day? No, that's not it either. Instead you spent the entire day sulking and throwing tantrums and basically being the most ungrateful, entitled, arrogant brat I've ever laid eyes on." He glowered at Harry and dared him to respond.

Harry was frozen in place. Tears welled up in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He didn't know how to explain how he was feeling. He was upset about Ron and Hermione. And while he was actually very grateful for everything Snape had done for him, it had also been a stark reminder of how little he had ever been cared for before. He didn't have any words, so he just stood there, not saying anything, seething in his own emotions.

Snape could see that the boy was upset, but it didn't make any sense to him. He hadn't mistreated him in any way, and in fact he'd done everything he could to try and make the brat comfortable. He'd even bought him a whole new wardrobe for Merlin's sake. What was wrong with the boy?

"Don't let me ever hear you slam this door again, Potter, or you will be very sorry indeed. Now stop acting like a spoiled brat and put your things away. You've got thirty minutes," Snape said sternly before turning around and closing the door firmly behind him.

Snape made his way back to his armchair where he pinched the bridge of his nose. He had done everything he could think of to make Harry feel comfortable, going out of his way to make sure he had everything he needed. He couldn't understand why the boy was acting so poorly.

Just then, there was a knock on his door. Opening it up, he found a student had brought him a note from one of the school owls. He grabbed the letter and dismissed the student,returning to his chair to read.

It was from Master Barclay. He opened the letter and read:

Dear Severus,
So nice to hear from you. I would be delighted to meet you at my offices in Paddington, London. I will be available from 10:00am. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

I hope you are well.

Sincerely,
Potion Master Barclay

The letter had been straightforward and to the point, very much in the style of Master Barclay. It seemed he would need to prepare himself, and Harry, for a meeting tomorrow.

He sat in front of the fire and relaxed with a cup of tea. Forty-five minutes later, Snape had cooled down enough but he hadn't heard a single peep from Harry. He got up and knocked on the door.

Not hearing anything, he pushed the door open to find Harry laying on his bed, awake, but looking miserable. There was nothing on the floor so Snape could only assume his clothes and supplies had been put away properly.

Harry didn't look up, instead committing to laying on his side, staring at the wall.

Snape didn't have the energy or motivation to deal with a sulking 12 year-old. "Get up Potter, you've been indulged enough for one day. We'll have dinner in 5 minutes."

Harry waited until Snape left before rolling off of the edge of the bed and making his way to the kitchen table.

He sat down and reached for the food.

"Not so fast, Potter, put your napkin in your lap first. It is also polite to wait for the more senior people to serve themselves before you dive in like a pig at a trough."

Harry paused and picked up his napkin, placing it in his lap before waiting for Snape to scoop up his first helping. Then, without a word, he made his own plate.

"I don't know what has gotten into you today, but I will not tolerate your attitude any longer. I have asked very little of you, thus far, and you have repaid my kindness with abysmal behavior. It ends now."

Snape stared at Harry with a menacing glare. Harry looked down at his plate and continued to eat in silence.

"We're going to make another trip to London, tomorrow. This time to meet my own mentor, Potion Master Barclay."

Harry didn't respond, instead shoving another spoonful of food into his mouth so as to avoid being forced to give a verbal answer.

"We will leave here at 9:00am. You will be the absolute paragon of a respectful, well-mannered boy. You are not to speak unless you've been spoken to and you will answer every single question politely, with 'Yes, sir' or 'Yes, Professor.' If you even think of embarrassing me with your insolence, I swear to Merlin, I will make you regret the day you ever survived the Dark Lord."

Snape was being harsh, even for Snape, but he was fed up with the boy's attitude and the last thing he wanted was to give Master Barclay another reason to refuse his request. If Harry showed up and gave him cheek, or acted rudely in any way, his mentor might be inclined to believe Snape was wholly incapable of training the brat.

Once again, Snape's tirade was met by silence. This fueled Snape's frustration even more. "Respond to me when I speak to you, Potter," Snape spat.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, refusing to let his anger spill out. He waited a moment before adding "Can I leave now? I'm finished."

"May you please be excused?" Snape corrected. "And yes, you may. Take a bath and then you can read quietly in your room. Lights out at 9."

Harry scooted his chair back forcefully to cover the annoyed sound he made as he exhaled loudly. He walked toward the washroom and closed the door, turning on the bath.

Snape didn't know what else to do. He vanished the food and dirty plates from the table and poured himself a small glass of firewhisky before sitting down once again in his chair by the fire.

Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day. He hoped that Harry would get enough sleep tonight and be in a better mood tomorrow. He wasn't sure he had enough patience to make it through another day like today.

Snape read quietly for another thirty minutes before glancing at the clock. It was nearly 9pm. He hadn't heard anything from Harry since he'd sent him to the bath, so he walked back and knocked on his door.

Before awaiting an answer, he walked in. Harry was sitting up on the bed in his new pajamas, his hair wet and a book in his hands.

"Lights out in five minutes, Mr. Potter. I hope that with some sleep you'll be in a much more agreeable mood tomorrow." Snape's tone was firm but not harsh. "I'll wake you in the morning. Until then, I expect you to stay in your bed."

Harry looked at him but didn't respond. Snape decided not to push it. If the boy wanted to sulk all night in his room, he could knock himself out. 

"Very well, then, get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Snape closed the door behind him and made his way to his own bedroom.

Snape was generally a night owl, finding he was much more productive after dark when the castle was quiet and his students were constantly bothering him. He almost never went to bed before midnight, but after several days of barely 3-4 hours of sleep, he was exhausted. He changed into his own sleep clothes, closed and locked his door, and laid down in bed. He hoped tomorrow would go smoothly.

Harry had turned the lights out at 9, but despite feeling exhausted he struggled to fall asleep. He dozed in and out of a shallow sleep for a few hours before finally sitting up in his bed with frustration. His mind was racing with anxiety. He was thinking about Ron and Hermione, and wondering if they were missing him at all. He was worrying non-stop about the apprenticeship- he was afraid it would work out and he'd be stuck with Snape, but then he was also afraid he wouldn't get it and he'd be forced into foster care.

He laid in his bed for several minutes trying to force himself back to sleep. When that didn't work, he tried closing his eyes and counting sheep. Finally, he tried relaxing each part of his body from his head to his toes. When none of those worked, he decided to get up and go to the parlor. Perhaps he could relax better with a change of scenery. He brought his book and laid on the sofa, propping his head up with a few of the dark green throw pillows as he laid by the dying fire.

Harry read for about 15 minutes before he realized he still couldn't sleep. He felt a restlessness that he knew he could only get rid of if he walked. It was 3:30am in the morning. With the students gone for the holidays he knew there wouldn't be anyone in the hallways, the Professors didn't bother doing night rounds during school breaks.

He desperately wanted his invisibility cloak, but he knew there was no way to get it from Snape's wardrobe right now. If he wanted to go out, he'd have to do it without the security of his cloak.

Harry put on a pair of his brand new socks, deciding to forgo his shoes so he could move with more stealth. He silently walked through the parlor, listening for any signs of Snape. When he didn't hear anything, he crept out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

 He walked for a while in the dungeons before he thought of Hedwig and decided to take a trip up to the owlery. Snape had mentioned that he and Dumbledore had rescued her when they went to visit the Dursleys and he wanted to see her and make sure she was still OK. Damn, I should have brought her a snack.

As he walked through the long corridors, Harry felt his body relax. It had been so long since he'd felt this safe. Even though he was worried about everything going on, he was also just plain happy to be back at Hogwarts. This was the one place where he had felt loved, safe, free, and just like a normal kid for the first time in his life. Even if he had to agree to be apprenticed to Snape, it felt like it was worth it. He couldn't imagine never being able to come back here.

The sky was incredibly clear. With no clouds and a nearly full-moon, the moonlight lit up the castle and the grounds like a dreamy film set. Harry could see all of the stars perfectly. He traced the outline of the big dipper until he found Polaris. Then he traced Orion's belt in the sky and looked up to the right to find the W of Cassiopeia. He loved looking at the stars.

Harry paused often on his way to the owlery, soaking in the ambiance of the castle, breathing the fresh air, and just enjoying the feeling of serenity. When he finally got to the owlery, he climbed the stairs to the tower and called out for Hedwig.

"Hedwig, come here, girl! Where are you? I've missed you!" he called out to her in his most gentle baby voice. He heard a squawk and then he saw her in the upper rafters.

Hedwig was definitely not happy with him and she refused to fly down to Harry right away. So he continued to cajole her. "Hedwig, come here girl, I'm so sorry I had to leave you. I'm so so sorry, girl. Please come to me, Hedwig, I've missed you. Please forgive me."

After about two minutes of begging and calling out to her sweetly, Hedwig finally flew down. She pecked at the side of his head for a moment before she allowed herself to be held and gently petted.

Harry sat in the owlery for hours, stroking Hedwig and looking out into the stars. He let his mind run free. He imagined that his dad had taken him on a camping trip and it was just the two of them, star-gazing and talking. He imagined what he would be doing for Easter break if both of his parents were still alive, how his mom would cook all of his favorite foods and hug him when he walked in the door. Just before dawn broke, Harry finally dozed off to sleep with Hedwig in his arms and a smile on his face.

Snape had planned to wake up around 8:00am, that way he'd get in a good amount of sleep and still have plenty of time to eat breakfast, get ready, and travel to London before meeting with Master Barclay at 10:30.

But for some reason, Snape woke up with a jolt around 5:45am. He looked at his watch and cursed to himself. He wanted to go back to sleep but he had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. He put a dressing gown over his pajamas and walked into the parlor.

He saw Harry's book on the seat of the couch, which was odd because he was pretty sure he remembered the boy taking it to his room before bedtime. Snape picked up the book and set it on the end table before heading toward Harry's room.

He slowly opened the door and saw that Harry's bed was empty. Snape rushed in and checked under the bed, on the floor, and even in the wardrobe. Next he ran to the washroom. It was also empty. He called out Harry's name but he heard no response. He saw that his glasses were no longer on the bedside table and he immediately knew that Harry must have left the quarters.

Snape searched every inch and corner of every room before he started to panic. It was 6am, still too early to wake others to ask for help. Besides, he didn't want the rest of the staff to think he was a failure for losing the boy in two days!

Snape calmed himself down and tried to think rationally. Where would the boy go? There were no students in the castle so who else or what else would he want to see?

He threw a thick pair of teaching robes on over his pajamas and wrapped himself in a cloak before leaving his quarters.

He tried what he'd done that day at the beach to see if he could attempt to connect to Harry's mind even if he wasn't in direct proximity. This was a new skill for Snape, one he had only discovered that night when he was searching for Harry in Brighton. He still wasn't entirely sure how it worked or if it was just a fluke, but it was worth giving it a try.

He calmed his mind and focused his mental energy, casting a long-distance legilimens. Nothing pinged back to him at first, so Snape did what he did before and just started walking, allowing himself to be guided by his own intuition, attempting to feel Harry's energy along the way.

He was walking slowly for about ten minutes before he was suddenly hit by a vision. Just like it had been before, it was a quick flash, but it was unmistakable. He had seen the stars, the tower, and the owls. Snape knew just where to go.

Snape had been panicking and worrying like a mother hen for the past thirty minutes, but now that he knew where Harry was, he felt the anger taking over. Just wait til I get my hands on that brat. How DARE he deliberately disobey me. He knows damn well not to leave my quarters.

Instead of the fresh air and the long walk calming him down, Snape became more enraged with each step. When he finally got to the tower, he was on the verge of spontaneous combustion until he saw Harry asleep, leaned up against the wall, Hedwig snuggled in his arms.

Snape paused for a moment and the anger started to evaporate. He was deeply relieved that Harry was safe, and seeing him sitting there so peacefully might have been quite adorable if he wasn't so PISSED.

He debated about what to do. Should he just scoop the lad up and carry him back to his bed? Or does he wake the brat up, give him a stern talking to and force him to walk.

He looked at the boy's feet- he had no shoes on, just a pair of socks (which were now filthy on the bottom).

 Dammit Potter, don't you have ANY common sense!

Against his better judgment, and certainly fighting against his urge to strangle the boy, he bent down and scooped Harry into his arms. Hedwig took that as her signal to go and she flew out of Harry's arms to find a comfortable perch.

The boy barely stirred and instead laid his head on Snape's shoulder. Harry's skin felt ice cold to the touch, so Snape wrapped him in his cloak - he prayed the boy wouldn't fall sick. Once again he realized just how light Harry felt. It was like carrying a baby bird.

Snape held him tightly against his chest as he made his way through the castle and back to the dungeons. He laid Harry gently on the couch and used his wand to add more logs to the fire. He then transfigured his cape into a giant down blanket and covered Harry, tucking the covers in tightly all around him. He removed his glasses, and carefully placed them on the end table.

This whole little escapade had been entirely outside the scope of anything Snape had ever done. He couldn't explain what he was feeling, but he felt an attachment and concern for the boy that he'd never had for anyone. Ever. It was clearly clouding his judgment. He needed to separate his emotions from his duty and his responsibilities-immediately. This kind of sentimental nonsense could not be allowed to continue.

Daybreak was near. Snape, seeing Harry sleeping comfortably, went back to his room and showered, shaved, and pulled out his finest clothes. He was nervous, so he soothed himself in the simple rituals of readying himself to meet with Master Barclay.

He picked out a fresh pair of black trousers and his most crisp white collared shirt, one that had SS embroidered onto the cuffs. He pulled his Prince family cufflinks out of the box and carefully threaded them through. After tucking in his shirt and putting on his belt, he put on his nicest black frock coat. This one had intricate patterns embossed in black velvet and the buttons were made of onyx. It was a gorgeous piece of clothing that he'd treated himself to while at a conference in Milan two years ago. He almost never got the chance to wear it, but when he did, it made him feel elegant and powerful.

Next, Snape pulled out his formal Potion Master's robes. They were a heavy black wool/silk blend with three green velvet stripes on each shoulder designating his status as the highest level of Potion Master. The inside of his robes were embroidered with gold thread listing his name, his mentor's name, and the date on which he received his qualifications as a Potion Master. Sewn into the lining of the right sleeve was a small Latin motto, passed down from Master to Apprentice, a special code that bonded a wizard or witch to the many generations who passed through the same academic lineage. It was only ever to be shared at the time an apprentice passed their final qualifications, and never to be seen or spoken of to anyone outside of that.

Snape believed in the power of words and rituals—both those spoken and unspoken. While he rarely wore these robes except for special occasions or certain meetings with the APM, he felt a certain empowerment when he put them on. He felt seen, like he belonged to an elite group of brilliant minds that stretched through time. It gave him an internal sense of validation, and he relished it on the rare occasion he allowed himself to experience it.

He kept the top robes off for the moment, laying them across his bed and casting a de-wrinkling charm so they'd look fresh and neat.

When he came back out to the parlor and hour later, Harry was still sound asleep on the couch. Snape would let him sleep as long as possible and then they would have a much needed conversation.

Snape sat in his armchair and drank his tea while he watched Harry sleep. He didn't know what to do with the brat. They had such an important meeting today, he really didn't want to get the morning off to a bad start. He knew he needed to punish the boy, but he also knew that might put him in a terrible mood, causing him to sulk and whine the whole day.

This was such an important day for both of them, he didn't want to take any chances of ruining it before it had even started. But at the same time, he didn't want the boy to think he could get away with this. He had deliberately disobeyed Snape and left his quarters without permission. On top of that, he was gallivanting around the castle, alone, after dark, after they had already discussed how unsafe that was. He didn't know what to do. He would just have to play it by ear.

At around 8am, Harry began to stir. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't in his room- he was on the couch in front of the fire. Before he could put on his glasses and orient himself, he heard the unmistakably silky voice of Professor Snape.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. You enjoyed a restful night of sleep, I hope." His voice was a dangerous calm dripping in sarcasm.

Harry's mind began to spin- how did he get back here? The last thing he remembered was going to visit Hedwig...and then, he woke up on the couch. Shit. SHIT. Did I fall asleep outside? Did Snape find me and bring me back here?

"How did I get here, sir? I don't remember much, I sometimes sleep-walk you know." Harry let the lie roll right off of his tongue. He wasn't sure what else to do, Snape would kill him if he told him the truth. Besides, how could he possibly call his bluff? The burden of proof is on the accuser, Harry was innocent until proven guilty.

"Sleepwalking, really?" Snape arched an eyebrow in mock surprise. "How interesting," Snape drawled calmly, bringing his teacup to his mouth for a long, slow sip. "Are you sure, Mr. Potter? Give your history of wandering the castle at night, is it not more likely that you purposely went out for a midnight stroll, despite being told to stay in your room?"

Harry decided to double down. He was all in with the lie now. He wasn't going to fall for such an amateur attempt to get him to confess. "No sir. The last thing I remember I was falling asleep in my room and then all of a sudden I woke up here in the parlor. I have no idea what happened."

Snape could tell this was complete rubbish. He'd been a teacher for ten years. Being a human lie detector was practically his job description. The boy was lying straight to his face.

There were several ways he could handle this. He could use Legilimency, but that would be highly unethical against a young student, especially without consent. He could yell and scream and threaten him to confess, which was way more drama then he was prepared for this morning. Or he could let it go—for now—and see if he could use other means to get Harry to confess later. If Harry wanted to play this game, he'd chosen the wrong opponent. Snape was a master of the long game, and he never, ever lost.

"Very well, Mr. Potter. Now that I am aware of your..."sleep walking" issue...I shall have to strengthen the wards so I'll know if you leave your room. Perhaps I should also tie a little bell around your neck like a kitten, just so that I can hear when you're moving about. I'd hate for you to harm yourself in one of these unfortunate sleep-walking episodes."

Harry was annoyed. Snape was purposely taunting him with a calm voice, although anyone who knew him would know that it was drenched in indignation and sarcasm. He was sure that Snape knew he was lying, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. Snape was obviously playing some kind of mind game with him, but there was no way Harry was going to fall for it.

"Before we move on, let me just make a few things clear for you. You know you are not to leave these quarters without permission. Do you understand that, Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah."

"I beg your pardon?" Snape's voice hardened at the disrespect.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I also feel VERY strongly about not being lied to. If you lie to my face—whether a lie of omission or a direct bald-face lie—the consequences will be most severe. Do you understand this?

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. So then, let me start all over again and let's see if we can't get to the truth this time, hmm?"

Snape paused for dramatic effect but kept his voice light, almost like he was talking to a naughty puppy.

"Did you purposely leave our quarters last night to go to the Owlery?" Snape stood tall and crossed his arms against his chest, looking down disapprovingly at Harry. "The truth, now, if you please."

Harry felt the panic rising inside of him. He could lie once, but being asked to repeat the lie over and over again was starting to be difficult. His heart raced, his breathing was getting faster, and he could feel sweat starting to bead on the back of his neck. He tried to force himself to calm down but his body was giving him away. Still, he was fully committed to the lie at this point. There was no way back.

"No sir, I must have sleep-walked. I really don't remember anything after going to bed last night."

Ever the master of games, Snape allowed his eyes to fix on Harry's, letting the silence play the supporting role. Seconds ticked by, painfully. Harry was nearly bursting with anxiety.

"Very well, then we will put this episode behind us...for now. I just hope you had enough sleep, this is a very important day for both of us." Snape looked down at Harry with a combination of disappointment and disapproval.

Harry felt terrible. He hated lying, but worst of all he hated Snape knowing that he was lying and letting him get away with it. Snape had to know that the guilt was going to eat him up.

Snape acted as if nothing had happened. He knew this would unnerve the boy even more. He worked hard to keep his tone free from scorn. He was rather enjoying toying with the boy, it was like a little game of psychological cat and mouse.

"Now then, time to get up, Potter. We'll eat breakfast and then I will cut your ridiculous hair. I want you to look every bit like the perfect little apprentice today."

As they walked to the table, Snape grabbed Harry's arm suddenly and whispered in his ear: "By the way Potter, if I ever find out you've lied to me about gallivanting around the castle--last night or any other time--I will put you over my knee and spank you until sitting will be nothing but a fond memory for you."

Snape let go of Harry's arm and gave him a smirk. Harry's heart rate was in the 180s and his entire face had gone red, but he moved quickly to sit in his chair, desperate to avoid any more talk of his nocturnal escapades.

Just making those threats put Snape in a somewhat better mood. He knew the boy was pushing boundaries, and now he was going to start pushing back. He had wanted to formalize things before he laid out all of the "official" rules. He honestly didn't expect Harry to be running wild in the few short days since he arrived. Clearly he needed to do more, and a little intimidation could go a long way. As tempted as he was to end this game and put the brat in his place, today...today he needed Harry in a good mood and on his best behavior. So, let the boy think he's gotten away with it.

Harry waited until Snape had served himself breakfast before putting his napkin in his lap and politely serving his own food. Recognizing that he was on thin ice, he was making every attempt to be on his very best behavior.

He didn't know if it was anxiety for the meeting, poor sleep or whether it was lying to Snape so blatantly, but his stomach felt like it was in knots. Breakfast was usually his favorite meal, but Harry could barely eat.

"You haven't eaten much, Potter, are you feeling ill?" Snape said, casually, looking at Harry's half empty plate. The boy had been moving around the same few pieces of eggs and hashbrowns for five minutes.

"No sir, I'm not ill. Just not very hungry."

"Try and at least finish your milk and have some fruit," Snape said, eyeing a bowl of fruit on the table. "Surely you can have a few raspberries or perhaps some apple slices."

Harry put a few berries on his plate but then continued to pick at them. He couldn't finish.

"Very well, don't force yourself." Snape tapped the table and the dishes disappeared. "Now let's get your haircut out of the way."

Snape walked Harry to the washroom, and with a flick of his wand, a small chair appeared. He sat Harry in the chair and Snape laid out all of his tools out on the bathroom counter. Snape had never been one for fancy haircuts, so he hoped that this would be good enough. He'd learned the charm sequence from a book yesterday. Worst case scenario, he'd shave the boy 's head and he'd look like he came from one of those military schools for boys who needed to be scared straight. The thought made Snape smile.

"Stay still, Potter. If you move even half an inch, one of these charmed scissors could take your ear off or put an eye out. That would be most inconvenient for me, so do try your best to stay calm."

Snape wrapped a towel around Harry's neck and splashed his hair with a bit of water. He then called out several incantations to the combs, scissors, and razors that would shape Harry's hair.

As soon as he flicked his wand and finished the incantations, scissors and combs were buzzing around and hair was flying everywhere. Standing back in the doorway, Snape was rather amused watching Harry panic while several styling tools attacked his head. After the first round of cuts got rid of the long hair, the clippers came in and shaved a line around his neck and faded up a little bit to make the cut look shorter on the back and sides.

Snape muttered the counter spell to stop and have a look. He had to say, he was quite impressed. It looked mostly even. It certainly looked a hell of a lot better than it did five minutes ago.

"Well, Potter, you're a new man."

Harry stared at himself in the mirror. It was not the worst haircut he'd ever had.

"Yeah, it's fine, I guess."

"Excellent. Now get in the shower and clean up. I will lay out the clothes I want you to wear today for the meeting with Master Barclay.

"Yes, sir."

Snape used another spell to clean the hair from the bathroom and banish it outside. He put the scissors, combs, and clippers into a drawer, leaving Harry alone to shower and get ready.

Stepping into Harry's room, he went to his wardrobe. He was pleased to see that Harry had followed his instructions and hung everything up neatly. He pulled out a pair of black trousers, a black belt, and a white dress shirt. Next he got out a charcoal gray waistcoat. He then looked for one of his formal academic dress robes- a beautiful black robe with green velvet trim (for Potions), and an APM insignia on the left side.

He actually felt really proud just looking at Harry's robes and he hoped that if today went well, Master Barclay would agree to grant them the bond and he would have the robes embroidered with "Apprentice Potter." Although a year ago he could have never imagined this, he now felt motivated to help Harry- there was so much he could teach the boy if he was given the chance. He knew he couldn't undo the first twelve years of his life, but he could make sure the next twelve were infinitely better. He wanted Lily to be proud of him, and to know that her son would be in good hands. For the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of purpose, and it felt good.

Snape left Harry's room and returned to his desk in the parlor where he gathered together some parchment, quills, and a portfolio he'd compiled with a Letter of Intent, two letters of reference (one from Dumbledore and one from McGonagall) and series of academic papers he'd sourced to help him gain some academic precedence for making this appeal. He hoped all of this would be enough. He packed the papers carefully together in a portfolio which he would shrink and place into the inner pocket of his robes.

Harry dressed himself in the clothes Snape had laid out for him. He had to admit, he felt like a completely different person. He didn't feel like a scraggly orphan, he felt like a confident young wizard. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

It was getting close to 9:00, so Snape knocked on Harry's door. "We need to go soon. Are you ready?"

Harry opened the door, a huge smile on his face. "What do you think?" He gave his impression of a model pose, showing off his new clothes.

"You actually look like a proper young gentleman. I may die of shock." Snape added the sarcasm, but he was clearly very pleased.

"You need a tie, Potter. Do you have any besides your school ties?"

"No, sir."

"Follow me, you can wear one of mine."

Harry followed Snape to his bedroom door, hovering outside of his room politely while his professor searched his wardrobe for the perfect tie. He chose a tie with a silver and black woven pattern that would look nice with his waistcoat and his dress robes. He handed it to Harry.

The boy paused for a moment, staring at the tie in his hands. "Um, can you help me with this please, sir?" Harry asked, blushing. "I don't know how to tie it, the prefects did it for me at the beginning of last year and I just never unknotted it."

Snape grabbed the tie back. He took Harry by the arm to the washroom and stood him in front of the mirror. Standing behind him, he put the tie around his neck so that Harry could see his movements clearly in the reflection. "Watch what I'm doing, Potter, this is something every young man should know how to do."

Harry watched Snape carefully in the mirror as the man's arms reached over his shoulders and gently held each end of the tie. "The skinny side goes on the right. Give yourself a lot of length on the left so that the tie isn't too short. You can always adjust it later."

Snape made sure he talked through each step. His long, deft fingers moved slowly enough so that Harry could see them but with great precision and care. At the end, he had a perfectly knotted Double Windsor. He turned Harry around to adjust it.

"Right then, we need to leave. I don't want to be late."

"How are we getting there, sir?"

"We will Floo to Diagon Alley, and then take the tube from King's Cross to Paddington. We'll walk from there to Master Barclay's office. For the time being, we will hold onto our dress robes, we can put them on once we arrive. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir."

"Good. And I know I've said this to you ten times before, but today is very important, Mr. Potter. I want you to behave like the proper young gentleman I know you can be. I don't think I need to detail what tragedies would befall you if you made the grave error of disrespecting me or misbehaving in front of Master Barclay."

Snape gave him his most foreboding Professor look.

"No, sir. I'll be good." Harry's face turned red. Even though he knew the man wasn't seriously scolding him, he hated being talked to like a naughty kindergartener.

To be honest, Snape wasn't too worried. Harry had actually been on his best behavior all morning. Perhaps that little threat earlier had been enough to scare him into line. He could also tell that Harry was feeling confident in his new clothes and he was eager to make a good impression. Whatever it was, Snape was happy as long as he stayed that way.

"See that you do. Now then, let's go."

Snape glanced at his watch as they walked out of Paddington station. By his calculation it was less than a ten minute walk to Barclay's office from there. They had 40 minutes before the meeting started.

"We have a few extra minutes, Potter, do you want something small to eat? You hardly touched your breakfast. And I wouldn't mind another cup of tea."

Harry was confused at how pleasant Snape was being, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Yes, sir, that would be nice."

They stopped in a little patisserie across from St. Mary's Hospital. Harry had a pain au chocolate and some fresh-squeezed juice and Snape had a cup of Earl Gray. They watched all of the people passing by, and as usual, said very little.

"Is Master Barclay nice?" Harry asked, as he absent-mindedly used his index finger to pick up crumbs from his plate before putting them in his mouth.

Harry sucked his finger and then put it back on the plate attempting to pick up the rest of the crumbs.

With the precision of leopard pouncing on his prey, Snape reached out and gave Harry's hand a sharp smack. "Your table manners are atrocious, Mr. Potter. We're in public, make an effort."

Harry's face turned red and he withdrew his hands to his lap, gently rubbing the sting from where Snape slapped him. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Yeah, but was he nice? Like, when you were his apprentice did he treat you nice?"

"Nicely, Potter, it's an adverb. But to answer your question, he never mistreated me. He could be very strict, and he demanded a lot of me, but he was always fair, and he always treated me with respect."

"Oh. Were you scared of him?" Harry asked with his eyes wide, a hint of excitement in his voice. He couldn’t imagine Snape being afraid of anyone, but he also couldn’t imagine Snape as a teenager either.

Snape nearly smiled, but he kept a straight face. "I did my best not to disappoint him...Now go wash your hands and wipe your face, you've got chocolate and crumbs all over yourself."

Snape finished his tea and left some change on the table. He stood up and pushed his chair in, brushing any crumbs off of his own shirt and trousers.

Harry came bounding out of the loo and followed Snape out the door. Snape paused for a moment outside to inspect Harry's face, hands, and clothes. Satisfied he wasn't sticky or covered in pastry, they walked down the street toward Barclay's office.

Snape pushed a button outside the large white building and the two were buzzed inside. They took the elevator to the 5th floor, pausing to put on their dress robes before knocking at the office door.

Harry was nervous but excited to meet Master Barclay. He could also tell that, even if he wouldn't admit (and he kept the same neutral scowl on his face), Snape was also a bit anxious. It was funny for Harry to try and imagine Snape as the apprentice, with someone else bossing him around and yelling at him when he did something wrong. He nearly giggled at the thought until Snape shot him a warning glare.

Snape adjusted his own robes and then leaned down to fix Harry's. He straightened his tie and smoothed the back of his robes before putting his hands on both of Harry's shoulders and bending down to look at him in the eye. "I'm doing this, Mr. Potter because I believe you are capable of great things. I hope you will not disappoint me."

Harry felt his heart leap. Snape had never said anything like that to him before. He definitely wanted to make him proud.

Snape stood up again, straightened his robes once more, and knocked on the door.

The door opened to reveal a man in his 70's with thick, wavy white hair, a well-trimmed goatee, and bright blue eyes behind wire-framed glasses. He wasn't short by average standards, but Snape towered over him by several inches.

"Severus! So wonderful to see you, come in." He opened the door and ushered them inside. "And this must be the young Mr. Potter."

Harry stood tall and offered his hand out, looking the older man in the eyes. "Yes sir, it's a pleasure to meet you Master Barclay."

"What a polite young man," Master Barclay said, looking over at Snape with a smile. He turned back to Harry. "It is very nice to meet you as well."

Snape was impressed. It turned out the brat did know how to act when he was sufficiently motivated. He looked at Harry and gave him a quick nod of approval.

Master Barclay sat down in a rather large desk chair behind an enormous, massive wooden desk. Behind him on the wall were dozens of plaques and framed certificates, and there was an entire bookcase dedicated to trophies and awards. Scattered amongst the different plaques and awards were framed photos of Master Barclay with all sorts of famous wizards and witches, ranging from politicians and musicians to famous Quidditch players.

Snape remained standing until Barclay invited him to take a seat. Harry watched Snape carefully and followed his lead, sitting down quietly when Snape did.

Although Master Barclay was a warm and outgoing man, he was also a stickler for manners and protocol. He was very open-minded about many things, but when it came to interacting with people, whether personally or professionally, he was extremely formal and very Old School. As an apprentice, Snape learned very quickly that there was no room for error with this, Master Barclay took it as a sign of personal disrespect and affront if someone ignored protocol or forgot a title. Everything from who sits and who stands first, who speaks first, who ends the conversation- who opens the door, who walks through it- there was a "right" way to do everything. Hierarchy and order were very important to him, especially when he was at the top of it.

But Snape learned to appreciate this- it meant that every social interaction had rules and a rhythm to follow, and in his life after his apprenticeship he'd found himself keeping to these formalities, even insisting upon them for his own students and members of house. In his experience, people always appreciated a person with good manners. It was an instant way of showing one's character.

"Master Barclay, I just wanted to thank you for meeting with us today, I know how very valuable your time is and both Mr. Potter and I are very appreciative."

"It's been a long time since you've come to see me, Severus. I hope that means things have been going well for you and you've just been busy. I enjoyed your recent publication about your rapid blood replenisher- fascinating discovery! I do hope you'll be presenting that at the annual meeting later this year."

Snape knew Master Barclay well enough to know that he would have to be patient before they got down to business. The man liked to control the conversation, he enjoyed the power dynamics of deciding when people could speak. Snape always imagined him like a traffic robot of conversation. He gave the green light and the red light for any discussion and everyone else around him had to obey. Snape knew this and was prepared for it, and he would only have success with this meeting if he followed the man's lead and went at his pace.

Master Barclay tapped his wand on the desk and a tea service appeared. "Tea?"

Snape nodded before attempting to politely move the conversation forward. "As I mentioned in my letter, I am coming to you today with a rather unusual request, Master Barclay, and I hope you will be kind enough to grant me the courtesy of allowing me to explain in full before you make any judgments."

Barclay poured Snape a cup of tea, remembering that he took it without any milk or sugar. He handed him the cup across the desk and then sat back in his chair, clearly listening, but not yet ready to allow the conversation to forward.

Red Light.

"Mr. Potter" he smiled at the boy who was clearly doing his best to sit up straight and listen. "Would you care for some tea, young man?"

Harry looked over at Snape for permission. Snape gave him a small nod and Harry returned his eyes to Master Barclay, "Yes, sir, that would be lovely."

"Milk and sugar?"

"Yes, sir. Both, please."

Master Barclay poured the tea and added in some milk with two lumps of sugar. He stirred it dramatically for several seconds, and instead of passing the tea across the desk, he stood up, walked around the desk, and set the cup down directly in front of Harry.

After taking a good look at the boy, Master Barclay took his own cup of tea and sat down on the black leather couch that was pushed up against the adjacent wall. He sat back casually and waited while Snape and Harry adjusted their own chairs to face him in his new location.

If anyone thought Snape was the master of dramatic pauses, they had clearly never met Master Barclay. Sipping his tea and leaning back on the couch he finally decided to respond to Snape's opening statement.

Green Light!

"Of course, Severus. As long as I've known you, you've always been a logical man, I imagine you wouldn't be here if you didn't have a compelling reason for it."

Taking the opening while he had it, Snape jumped right in.

"Thank you, Master Barclay. It concerns the future of young Mr. Potter here. Due to some…" He paused to choose his words carefully in front of Harry. "... unforeseen circumstances, I would like to make him an apprentice. My apprentice."

Yellow Light

It was like the Olympics of dramatic pauses. Harry's eyes darted back and forth between the two men, waiting to see who would speak next. There was an entire conversation happening in unspoken words and pauses. The anticipation was maddening. But the two Potion Masters knew the dance, and they maneuvered elegantly through the breaks in conversation.

Master Barclay finally spoke. "He's too young, Severus. You know that apprenticeship is a binding magical contract. It is a huge commitment and a life-changing decision, one needs to be of age. The APM has not approved an apprenticeship for someone so young in over 100 years"

Green Light

Harry felt crushed hearing those words. He tried not to show it, but putting on a poker face was not one of Harry Potter's gifts. He looked at Snape, pleading to him with his eyes to make a strong argument on his behalf. He didn't want to leave Hogwarts. He definitely didn't want to go into Care. And he absolutely wasn't prepared to be tortured and killed.

Now it was Snape's turn to make his pitch. "This is true, sir, and I believe the APM's recommendation to only perform the bond with wizards of age is an important one…"

He paused for a moment. "However, these circumstances are unique, and in fact, this decision may very well be a matter of life or death for Mr. Potter, thus my urgent and unusual request."

Life or death? What is he on about? Panic flashed across Harry's face and he turned his head quickly to stare at Snape.

Snape ignored Harry's less than subtle reaction and continued with his plea, his face abandoning its usual stoicism to show the gravitas of the situation. "What I am about to tell you next is something few others know, I trust that I will have your confidence and discretion in giving you these details?"

Now Snape was playing the game. Everything he said was true, but he also knew that he would have to present it in a very certain way if he wanted to hook Barclay. At the end of the day, Master Barclay's weakness was that he loved to feel important. He was not malevolent in any way, but he enjoyed the power. And possessing certain information that others didn't would make him feel superior. If Snape could appeal to that dynamic, he was sure he could get him to agree to anything.

"Yes, of course Severus," he replied, his body language changing slightly as he leaned forward, eager to know the details.

Green light, green light!

"Mr. Potter's life is currently being threatened by known...darker entities. In fact, he was forced to go on the run for nearly a year, a fact that we've tried to hide from the wider wizarding community."

Snape had deftly put himself in control of the conversation, and he was using Master Barclay's very own techniques to do it. He paused for a sip of his tea before continuing, knowing the old Potion Master was hanging on his every word.

"During this time, political factions on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts used this as an excuse to revoke Mr. Potter's enrollment, with the obvious goal of forcing him away from the protections at Hogwarts. As you might imagine, given Mr. Potter's...family history...there is great concern for his continued safety as well as his magical education. Headmaster Dumbledore, as well as myself, believe that he will only be safe if he stays at Hogwarts. Since he is no longer enrolled as a student, the only other option that would grant him similar protection would be to make him an apprentice."

Snape held his teacup in his hand, before turning in his chair and placing it gently on the desk that was now behind him. He watched Barclay's face carefully to make sure his words were having the intended effect.

Master Barclay looked at Harry and smiled sympathetically. "Mr. Potter, what do you think of the idea of doing an apprenticeship? Has Professor Snape explained to you how that would work?"

Now Harry was nervous. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, so he looked at Snape for guidance, but Snape's face was still and his expression gave nothing away. Harry was on his own.

"I really want to stay at Hogwarts, sir. Professor Snape explained that if I become an apprentice, he will still help me learn everything I would have learned as a normal Hogwarts student. And on top of that he'd teach me potions and I'd help him with his research and things. He said it would be a lot of hard work, but I said I would do anything, sir. I will do ANYTHING to be able to stay at Hogwarts, I don't have anywhere else to go."

Harry felt tears welling up and his voice started to crack, so he stopped talking. He didn't want to beg Master Barclay, but he wanted him to know that this apprenticeship was his only option.

Bravo, Potter, Snape thought. Harry had just made his job ten times easier. He knew that Harry's genuine emotions would affect the older Potion Master. He was a good man with a kind heart, but above that he also considered himself an honorable man, and what was more honorable than saving a boy's life. And not just any boy- Harry Potter.

Snape felt like he was vying for a BAFTA award now, and he decided to lay it on rather thick so he could seal the deal. He forced a pained expression on his face before he continued.

"Regrettably, Mr. Potter's only remaining relatives have found themselves suddenly...incapable of continuing to care for him. More importantly, the blood wards meant to protect him were breached this past summer, making the whole arrangement especially dangerous. As Muggles, they are ill-equipped to protect him if further attacks are made. If we are not able to get your help to secure this apprenticeship, Mr. Potter will become a ward of the Ministry. I'm sure I don't need to explain what our concerns are there."

Harry didn't make a sound, but several tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt pathetic, crying in front of a total stranger, but just hearing Snape put words to the fact that he was so alone in the world, and that no one wanted him-not even his own relatives-was like a sucker punch to the gut. Not to mention the fact that people were clearly out to kill him. He held his cup in front of his face, sipping at his tea hoping that if he stayed silent, no one would notice the few tears that slipped out.

Master Barclay, like Snape, was extremely observant. He saw the tears rolling down Harry's face, but he didn't want to embarrass the boy, so he kept his eyes firmly on Snape, hoping to spare the boy's dignity. That said, he was extremely moved by the boy's plight.

"I see…"

Yellow Light

There was another ridiculously long pause.

Snape waited, but the man didn't speak. He was growing impatient so he decided to jump the queue and fill the silence by further pleading Harry's case.

"If I were granted this bond, Master Barclay, I would obviously be taking Mr. Potter, not just as an apprentice, but also as my ward, very much in the old style of apprenticeship. Although it has fallen out of favor, I believe there are many merits to this system that would be of benefit to him in his current situation."

Instead of pausing to sip his tea, this time Snape paused and readjusted his legs, crossing them in the other direction and smoothing down his robes.

"I recognize that my role would be—not just to teach him and prepare him for excellence in potions and spells—but also to keep him safe and help him grow into a healthy and strong young wizard. I would hope after our many years of working together, Master Barclay, you know that I never fail to honor my commitments. You also know that I apply complete dedication to everything I do. I give you my word that this apprenticeship would be my most important commitment."

Master Barclay nodded his head and stroked his chin. He took another sip of tea. "Hmmmm."

Snape continued. "Mr. Potter is only 12 years-old, but he has already shown exceptional potential to grow into a powerful wizard. He has shown extraordinary promise, not just in potions, but in many subjects. He is respected and looked up to by his peers and teachers alike and he possesses a strength of character that is unusual in a boy his age. If he were denied this apprenticeship, and thus denied his magical education, it would not only be a great disservice to Mr. Potter as an individual, it would also be at great peril to his life and the future of the wizarding world."

Checkmate, Snape thought to himself. There was no way the man could possibly refuse after hearing that. He had delivered his coup de grace.

Harry nearly dropped his cup. He couldn't believe the words coming out of Snape's mouth. The man had never so much as said a kind word to him, and now, suddenly, he's singing his praises and calling him "exceptional" and "extraordinary." He had never been more shocked in his life.

Finally, Master Barclay spoke. "And you truly believe you're the right person to do this job?"

RED LIGHT, RED LIGHT!

It wasn't a critical tone or even a particularly harsh question, but Barclay had clearly opened the door to discussing the very things Snape wanted to avoid. He knew he would have to explain and defend himself, but he didn't want Harry in the room for it.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to have Mr. Potter step out for a few moments," suggested Snape.

Barclay nodded in agreement. "Certainly, there's a small break room down the hall, two doors down on the right, he is welcome to wait there."

"Then please excuse us, Master Barclay, while I accompany Mr. Potter to the lounge."

Snape didn't say a word, he just looked at Harry and opened the door, waiting for the boy to walk through it. He closed the door quietly and walked several paces down the hallway before he spoke to Harry.

By now Harry was feeling pretty good about himself. His tears were long gone and he had a giant smile on his face after hearing what Snape said about him.

"Don't get a big head, Potter. You and I both know you're a mediocre student at best, I'm merely playing up your potential—were you to actually apply yourself and have someone hold you accountable. I'm sure if Master Barclay knew what your grades really looked like he'd be wondering why we don't just ship you off to Muggle school and be done with it."

Harry didn't let Snape's words bother him at all, he knew it was a half-hearted attempt to counteract the very un-Snape-like situation in which he had been forced to begrudgingly talk up The Brat Who Lived.

Snape opened the door to the small break room. It smelled like stale coffee and the inside of an old fridge. In the middle of the room was a rectangular table covered with old magazines and academic journals, surrounded by a few mismatched folding chairs. Against the left wall was a counter with a sink, a small mini-fridge, and an electric kettle. A hodgepodge of stained and dirty mugs sat in the sink and on the counter. It was a grim sight.

Harry sat down at the table and Snape leaned down to look at him.

"I need you to stay here, Potter, and entertain yourself quietly. This is very VERY important. Do not"—Snape grabbed Harry's chin gently between his thumb and forefingers and made sure that he was looking at him in the eyes—"Do NOT leave this room. Do not touch anything. Sit quietly, read, meditate, sleep—I don't really care what you do as long as you stay in that chair and don't make a sound until I come back for you. Do you understand?" He let go of the boys face.

Harry looked him in the eye— his tone was not threatening and neither were his words, but Harry knew that this was the most serious he'd ever seen Snape. This wasn't an act, he needed Harry to listen.

"Yes, sir. I won't move, I promise." And this time Harry really meant it. Being in that meeting made Harry realize how desperately he wanted this apprenticeship. Even if Snape was a mean and scary git sometimes, he was starting to believe that he would at least keep him safe. Besides, he had nowhere else to go. And at least Snape didn't think he was totally useless. He said I could be a powerful wizard.

Snape pulled Harry's vampire book out of his robes and tossed it on the table. "Here, I brought this for you to read. Although, if you're feeling rather studious you can get a head start on your apprenticeship and start reading the Journal of Industrial Potions" His eyes moved down to the old journals on the table "I heard the November 1991 issue was a real page turner."

Harry felt relieved hearing Snape make a sarcastic comment. He smiled and picked up his book.

"Now behave. We're nearly there." And with that, Snape walked out of the room, leaving Harry with the buzzing of the fluorescent lights, a bunch of outdated potions journals, and the Vampire Detectives book he'd been attempting to read for two days but had barely made a dent in.

Harry was starting to go crazy, it had been nearly an hour since Snape had left him sitting in that abysmal lounge. True to his word, he hadn't moved from the chair, but he was getting antsy. His life was being decided in another room and all he could do was just sit there and wait.

Too anxious to read, Harry folded his arms on the table and laid his head down. He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything else. He thought he could hear a fly stuck in the ceiling lights somewhere. He was so bored.

Finally, the door burst open and standing in the doorway was the imposing figure of Professor Snape.

"Come on, Potter, let's go. Master Barclay wants to see you." Snape's voice was neutral as he held open the door for him before closing it quietly behind them.

Harry tried to read him, but as usual Snape gave nothing away on his face. "What happened? What's going on?"

Snape didn't respond, instead he walked briskly to Master Baraclay's door. He paused in front of the office, leaned down and said softly, "Just be honest. And stay polite."

Even though he'd only just left, Snape knocked on the door, waiting to hear "Enter" before opening it. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and guided him into the room.

Master Barclay was back behind his desk. He smiled at Harry and motioned for him to sit. "Please take a seat, Mr. Potter. And you, Severus."

They both sat. It was Master Barclay's show now, so all eyes were on him to see where things would go.

"Mr. Potter, Professor Snape has explained everything to me in great detail. I agree with him that your circumstances are extenuating and life-threatening, and that this apprenticeship would offer you stability, security, and continuation of your education."

Barclay went quiet. Harry hadn't heard a question or been addressed directly, so he kept his mouth shut, hoping the man would either continue talking or clarify if he wanted an answer from him.

After a moment, he continued. "I know you are only 12 years-old, and while you are not of age, it is very important that you enter into this apprenticeship bond of your own free will. Do you understand what that means?"

"Yes, sir. It means I am doing it because I want to do it, not because someone is forcing me."

Barclay nodded. "Very good. Now this decision isn't up to me. In order to get approval to perform the apprenticeship bond, we will need to have a majority of the APM board agree to it. I am a member of that board, and I would like to think that my opinion carries a lot of weight, but it is not a guarantee."

Harry's face fell with disappointment at these words, he had thought that if everything went well today, Master Barclay was going to be able to approve it.

"After meeting you, I am quite in agreement with Professor Snape's assessment that you are a mature and clever boy, and that you would benefit greatly from this apprenticeship in both your personal and professional life. As you know, Professor Snape was once my apprentice, many years ago, and since then I have always held him in the highest esteem. He is a brilliant wizard, an exceptionally gifted Potion Master, and an honorable man. I have no doubts that he will teach you well and take good care of you."

Harry was surprised to hear Master Barclay say such nice things about Snape. Sure, he knew Dumbledore always thought highly of him, but to hear this from someone else made Harry feel better about putting his life in the man's hands.

Harry looked over at Snape to see his reaction to all of this— as usual, there wasn't one. Snape had on his 'resting neutral face' and if he was feeling happy or relieved, Harry couldn't tell.

Master Barclay was quite enjoying holding the floor, so he continued. "I want you to know, Mr. Potter, that I will do whatever I can to support you and Professor Snape in this apprenticeship. And hopefully, I can get it approved quickly. If so, I will be one of the wizards who performs the bonding ceremony for you."

"Thank you, sir" Harry said, his gratitude genuine. He'd spoken slightly out of turn, but he wanted the man to know how much this meant to him.

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. I hope you realize that once you've been bonded to Professor Snape, we will also share an important relationship. Apprenticeships are like a family tree- and we share the same branch. Whether you are an apprentice or a full-grown wizard you can always come to me. We will be bonded as well, and I will always do my best to help and protect you as well."

Harry hadn't thought about that. He felt like he was kind of getting a whole wizarding family with this apprenticeship. He wondered if he would meet others from this family tree.

"Very well, I'm sure you two have other things to attend to. Severus, I've taken copies of your letters and your proposal. I understand there's urgency so I will try to get this moving quickly."

And just like that, Master Barclay was done. He smiled at Harry and walked him to the door before offering his hand, "It was wonderful to meet you, Mr. Potter. I hope I'll be seeing you again soon."

"Good-bye, sir" Harry said, smiling and shaking his hand. He was feeling hugely relieved, and for the first time, somewhat excited about becoming an apprentice. He liked the idea of having several people looking out for him and teaching him things. He'd been somewhat intimidated by Master Barclay, but he liked him a lot, and he could tell that he was a kind and honest man, even if he was a bit formal.

"We thank you for your time, Master Barclay. Please know you have our sincerest gratitude. If you need anything else from me, please let me know. Finalizing this apprenticeship is my highest priority, and if possible I'd like to get it done by week's end."

"Of course, Severus. I'll be in touch. It was good seeing you," the two men shook hands and Snape walked through the door, his hand on Harry's back as they walked down the hall. Master Barclay stood in his doorway and added: "I hope this means I won't have to wait another decade before you make a point to come see me, Severus" he scolded, half-jokingly.

Snape turned around and gave the man a slight bow. "My sincerest apologies, Master Barclay, I look forward to seeing you again soon."

Snape and Harry got in the elevator without saying a word. Snape took off his formal robes, and tossed them over his right elbow. "Robes, Potter" he said, gesturing with his hand to give them to him. Harry undid the clasps and Snape helped him remove them, tossing them over his elbow on top with his own.

When the elevator dinged on the lobby floor, the two walked out casually, passing for well-dressed Muggles (and with their matching black trousers, crisp white shirts, stylish waistcoats, and dark hair, Harry rather looked like Snape's bespeckled mini-me).

As soon as Snape pushed the door open into the spring sunshine, he let out an audible sigh of relief. Harry was bursting to talk about everything but he was waiting for Snape to go first. He was trying really hard to be extra well-behaved.

What Snape really wanted to do was go to a pub and have a pint. He looked at his watch and realized it was 1pm. He should take the boy for some lunch. They were in London, so he decided they might as well kill two birds with one stone- eat lunch and have a pint.

Snape remembered a quiet little pub nestled between Paddington and Bayswater where they could get delicious pies and relax for a bit. It was only a five minute walk away.

As they walked, Snape could tell Harry was dying to talk, but he didn't want to have a conversation on the street surrounded by a bunch of muggles. He was amazed that the boy had been able to keep his mouth shut this long.

If Snape was honest with himself, he had been very impressed with Harry today. He was perfectly behaved and was charming and emotional enough to push Barclay over the edge. He couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

He didn't want to say so, but this little lunch outing was a bit of a celebration and reward for Harry. He knew the boy had tried his hardest to do everything right today, and he wanted him to enjoy a special lunch. He was sure it wasn't often that anyone took Harry out, so this should be a fun treat for him.

Snape stopped in front of the Kings Head Pub. He looked down at Harry, "I hope you're hungry, Mr. Potter, the food here is quite excellent."

Harry's eyes lit up and he looked up at Snape with a huge grin, "You're taking me out for lunch?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on starving you. Not today, at least." Snape said dryly, feeling uncomfortable with Harry's obvious joy and excitement. He had wanted to do something nice for the boy, but he didn't want Harry to know he was doing something nice, especially not just for him. So, he deflected with sarcasm.

Snape opened the pub door and cocked his head to the side, "Get in, Potter, I don't have all day."

Harry was overjoyed to be going out to lunch in a proper London pub. He couldn't stop smiling and he practically skipped through the front door.

Snape walked to a booth in the back corner and an older gentleman slid two menus onto the table. "Specials are potato leek soup and a lamb roast with veggies. Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll have a pint of Stella," Snape said without hesitation. He looked at Harry, "What do you want to drink? You can have whatever you like...non-alcoholic, obviously."

Harry felt like he'd entered the Twilight Zone. Snape, the most controlling man in the universe, a man who nitpicked every single thing that went onto his plate or into his mouth, a man who insisted he eat his fruits and veggies at every meal and complained constantly about sugar—this man was offering to let him have whatever he wanted?

"Can I have a ginger ale?" Harry asked, looking at Snape.

"You may. But this is a one-time thing, it won't become a habit." Snape was feeling pretty light-hearted, but he didn't want the boy to think he was going to spoil him.

Harry looked at the server, "A ginger-ale for me, please."

"Be right back with those, have a look at the menus."

Harry looked at the menu but wasn't sure what he should order. He didn't want to make Snape mad if he got the wrong thing or picked something too expensive.

Sensing Harry's discomfort and remembering his own experience going to lunch with Master Barclay the first time, Snape spoke up before Harry felt the need to ask.

"Order anything on the menu, Potter. Whatever you want." He narrowed his eyes slightly as though he were about to say something ominous, "But I'll be extremely displeased if you try to pull the sad little Oliver Twist card and order something silly, like a bowl of celery soup, when what you really want is a burger.".

Harry smiled and glanced down at the menu. I like this Snape. Where has he been? "I'm stuck, everything looks so good! I'm thinking about either a Steak and Ale Pie or Fish 'n Chips."

"Both are excellent choices," Snape said, giving the menu a last minute scan. "They are known here for their homemade pies, but I'm sure either is delicious."

The server came back and set their drinks on the table. "Know what you want?"

Snape nodded at Harry to go first. "Um, I'll have the Steak and Ale Pie, please."

"You want chips or veggies with that, lad?"

Harry looked at Snape, and not hearing a demand for vegetables, he replied warily "Um, chips I guess?" He waited for Snape to jump in and scold him, but he didn't.

"And for you, sir?"

"I'll have the Fish Pie. With chips." Snape handed his menu to the server, who then collected Harry's menu and went back to the bar.

Snape picked up his pint and took a refreshing sip. Merlin, this tastes good. Cheers to me, we survived today.

The two sat quietly at the table, like they often did at mealtimes. Snape wasn't so good at this part. He was much more comfortable lecturing students or scolding them. He was also quite good at making elaborate threats (most of which he never carried out). But he hated idle chatter, and he definitely didn't enjoy giving praise or encouragement. Nonetheless, he knew if he was going to expect good behavior from Harry in the future, he would need to acknowledge it and give some positive reinforcement. He looked at this as investing in himself.

"You did very well today, Potter. Your manners and behavior were impeccable. I was quite proud of how you handled yourself with Master Barclay."

Harry beamed. He felt like he could practically fly. He'd never heard Snape say this many nice things to anyone, much less him. He was sure he'd fallen down a rabbit hole.

"It's clear you know how to act when you feel like it, so I hope you know that this is what I will expect out of you anytime we are out in public. Despite the appalling manners you've shown me in the past, it's clear that ignorance isn't to blame, but rather willful disregard."

Once again, Harry wasn't going to let Snape's half-hearted attempts to lecture him take away from the compliments. He felt too good to let Snape ruin it.

"Thank you. I know you think I'm spoiled but I'm really not. I wanted to do a good job today. I really wanted Master Barclay to like me. You told me that as your apprentice I reflect on you, and I didn't want him to think anything bad about you because of me."

He could tell Harry was being really sincere. "I appreciate that, Mr. Potter. And I think Master Barclay was quite charmed by you today, and as a result, we accomplished what we set out to do today which was to get his approval and support. That's why we are treating ourselves to a nice lunch. I want you to enjoy your success today."

Snape hoped that was enough of the positive affirmations. He didn't want the boy to get cocky about it. But he could see the pure joy and happiness in Harry's face, and even he wasn't cruel enough to try to take it away. When Harry smiled, his eyes got bright, and Snape could almost see Lily's spirit flicker in them, and it reassured him that he was doing the right thing.

By the time Harry and Snape returned to Hogwarts, they were both exhausted, but in good spirits. They had enjoyed their lunch and had even taken a short stroll in Hyde Park afterward, making the most of a somewhat sunny April day in England.

After arriving home, Snape had sent Harry to change out of his dress clothes and get into something more comfortable. Snape did the same, returning to the parlor in a pair of dark black jeans and a more casual button-down, one without monograms or cufflinks. But he still tucked in his shirt and put on a waistcoat. Even Snape's casual wasn't particularly casual.

Now that they were back home, Snape tried to put himself back in Professor Snape mode. He had let himself relax a little bit over lunch, making jokes and letting loose a little, but he and Harry had a lot of work to do, and a lot to discuss. He didn't want to throw too much at him at once, but he wanted to set-up some rules and expectations for the next week.

He called Harry into the parlor.

Snape's voice was calm and even, but he was ready for business. "I know it has been a very long day, but I think we need to go through a few things." He pointed to the couch. "Sit down, Mr. Potter."

Harry was still on Cloud Nine. Despite the pressure of meeting with Master Barclay, today had been one of the best days of his life. For the first time ever he had heard, not one, but two people say really nice things about him. And not just anybody, two very powerful wizards who had promised to look after him. After that he'd had an amazing lunch out and walked through the park, and Snape hadn't scowled or shouted at him once. Maybe being an apprentice would be even better than being a Hogwarts student!

Harry recognized the change in Snape's tone instantly. It wasn't angry or mocking, but it was authoritative and serious, with none of the relaxed snarky side he'd seen earlier today.

Harry plopped down on the couch, relaxed. "So, what is it?"

Snape felt like he'd been given an electric shock. The perfect, polite boy from earlier today was gone, and a cheeky, insolent 12 year-old was now in his place.

"Are you forgetting your manners again so quickly, Mr. Potter?" Snape shot him a disapproving glare and his voice had a definite edge. "Do you want to try that again?"

Not really, thought Harry. He didn't understand how Snape could turn on him so quickly. They had just had a really nice day together, and now he was being a git.

"You don't have to be such a git." The words had come out before he even thought about them. Whoops. But he was frustrated, and he meant it.

Snape didn't even think about it. He knew he needed to get control and start drawing some lines. He raised his voice slightly and shot daggers out of his eyes. "Get in the corner, Potter. You clearly need a moment to remember where you are and to whom you're speaking."

Harry was pissed. He hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he had done everything right, all day. Snape had even said so. And now that they were back here in Hogwarts, all of a sudden Snape wants to treat him badly again.

Harry didn't move. In fact, he leaned back on the couch, folded his arms across his chest and gave Snape a defiant glare, as if to say: Make me!

Snape had no desire to engage in a battle of wills, but now that Harry had stepped up to the plate, he didn't have a choice, he'd have to play ball.

"To the corner, Potter. Now" his tone got even lower and his eyes even icier. He paused before proceeding. "If I have to get up and drag you there, I will. And I can promise you the outcome of that will not be pleasant for you or your backside."

Harry hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if he wanted to challenge him or not. He didn't want to test the man, but he was angry and hurt and not thinking clearly. "You're being so unfair. I did everything you asked me to do and now you're punishing me for no reason!"

Snape ignored him and got up from his chair. He wasn't going to argue with the boy right now. He stood over Harry, with fire in his eyes, but he kept his voice calm. He reached down to grab his arm.

He pulled Harry up from the couch. "Corner. Now. Last chance. We'll discuss everything when you've calmed down."

Harry saw the look in Snape's eyes and knew he was in deep trouble, so he took his chance while he had it and moved quickly over to the corner of the parlor. This is so unfair. I hate him. 

Snape could see that Harry's feelings were hurt, but he was not going to be manipulated. He'd let Harry get away with far too much and if he didn't enforce these boundaries soon, Harry was going to keep pushing them.

"We've had a nice day, and I would have liked to keep it that way, but I will tolerate your disrespect. Ever. You will stand there for 20 minutes and think about how you will adjust your attitude, and I highly recommend that you do. I've been far too lenient with you, but that ends today."

Harry fumed in the corner but kept his mouth shut. He didn't have a death wish, and he could tell from Snape's tone that he meant business. He had no doubt Snape would follow through on his threats and he wasn't eager to test him.

Snape left Harry in the parlor and went into the kitchen to make himself some tea. He could have just tapped his wand, but he wanted to busy himself and go through the motions while he calmed down. He turned on the kettle and pulled a mug out of the cabinet, then he turned around and leaned back against the counter. He took a deep breath as he reached up to pinch the bridge of nose. Dammit, Harry.

For once, Snape didn't want to be the disciplinarian, but Harry had given him no choice. He steeled himself.

Snape stood in the kitchen for a few minutes with his tea. He wasn't that angry, but his emotions were all over the place and he needed to figure out what he was going to do.

He didn't want to admit it, but Harry's words had stung him. Am I being unfair?...No, he call you a git and was being a petulant little brat.

He took a few more deep breaths and put the cup to his lips, soothing himself with the warm, earthy liquid. He stayed in the kitchen because he wasn't ready to look at Harry right now, he knew it would just make him feel worse. He had never felt these feelings before; whenever he had scolded or punished students in the past he'd known they deserved it and he didn't care if they thought he was mean or evil. It was not his job to be their friend, he was a teacher, he needed to maintain order and enforce the rules.

But it didn't feel like that with Harry. Yes, the boy was in desperate need of structure, discipline and boundaries, but the bond between Master-Apprentice required much more than that- there needed to be a deep level of trust and a mutual respect for it to succeed.

Snape drank the rest of his tea then waved his hand and banished the cup before heading back to the parlor. Harry was still standing quietly in the corner. Good, at least this time the brat isn't crying. He sat back in his armchair and watched the clock.

When the final five minutes passed, Snape called Harry out of the corner. "Come here, Mr. Potter."

Harry was still feeling hurt and confused, but the time in the corner had taken the edge off of his anger. He walked over to Snape and stood in front of him. He stayed quiet, with his head bent down, not sure of what to expect.

"Is there anything you'd like to say?" Snape asked, his voice even but his face creased slightly.

Harry didn't really think he should have to apologize, but he could see that that was what Snape expected. He also figured this might be his best chance to avoid serious punishment.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry I was rude to you." It wasn't the most heartfelt apology he'd ever given, but he hoped it was good enough.

Thank Merlin. Snape felt huge relief. He didn't want to punish the boy and he felt quite bad about how he had reacted earlier, but he also didn't want to lose face and look weak. He was glad Harry had given him an out by apologizing.

Snape nodded at his apology. "Very well. Take a seat. We need to talk."

Harry shuffled over to the couch, hoping this wouldn't take too long. He was still feeling extremely disappointed that his day had gone from being such a good one to absolute crap in about 30 seconds.

"Mr. Potter, while I understand you were frustrated earlier, I want you to know that it is never an excuse to say rude things, raise your voice at me, or refuse to obey me when I ask you to do something. This is something you've done several times now, and it needs to stop." Snape scolded him half-heartedly.

Harry blushed slightly at the accusation. He had been so focused on feeling wronged that he hadn't realized how it might look to Snape. Even though he hadn't meant to behave badly, he knew he had disrespected Snape a number of times in the last few days. He was actually pretty surprised he still had all of his vital organs.

"I'm not going to punish you any more for this. I realize that today was a long, difficult day and I'm sure we both could have handled ourselves better." Snape slipped in his pseudo-apology, trying not to make a big deal about it. He wanted Harry to know that he recognized he was a bit unfair without excusing what was becoming repeatedly disrespectful behavior.

"While we will put this behind us today, I want to be very very clear about my expectations moving forward. Are you paying attention, Mr. Potter?

"Yes, sir." Harry felt relieved, he was worried Snape would take this opportunity to make good on his prior threats of punishment.

"Good, because I'm going to hold you accountable from this moment forward. First of all, whether we are inside this house or out in public, I expect you to be polite and respectful at all times. I know you know how to do that because I saw a perfect example of it earlier today. You will address me properly, and I expect you to keep a respectful tone. No cheekiness, no talking back, and certainly no name-calling or cursing. Is that clear so far?

"Yes, sir."

"Secondly, I expect you to listen and obey without argument or complaint. Whether it is with schoolwork, potions, or things at home, when I ask you to do something, you are to do it. If I ask you not to do something, you will not do it. Fairly straightforward, I should think." He looked directly at Harry to make sure he was taking it in.

Harry nodded. So, he just wants me to do everything he says, all the time and then everything will be fine? Control freak.

Snape paused for a moment and took a sip of tea. "Finally, there will be no lying. I know we touched on that this morning…" he arched an eyebrow at Harry, "but I mean it, I have a zero tolerance policy for lies. Aside from the fact that it is a stain on your character, lying destroys trust. I am not just teaching you how to brew potions, Mr. Potter, I will be training you in very powerful magic. I will be sharing with you important knowledge and skills that are sacred among wizards, and it is vital that we are able to trust one another or both of us will fail in our responsibilities."

Harry just stared at him. It had never occurred to him that Snape was going to be more than a glorified babysitter and homeschool coordinator. He figured his apprenticeship would mostly be chopping things up for the man, kind of like a six-year detention. But it sounded like Snape actually meant to take this seriously.

"Are you really going to teach me things like that?"

"Of course. But only if I can trust you. The bond we will have as Master-Apprentice is far more than just a contract, Mr. Potter. It is a sacred magical oath that we make to one another and to all of the other Potion Masters who have come before us, and to those who will come after us. I know this is hard for you to understand right now, but we are keepers of generations of sacred magical knowledge. When I share it with you, I am entrusting that you will hold onto and safeguard that knowledge until you can entrust it to the next generation. It's an unbroken chain of trust that reaches through time."

Harry was speechless. He hadn't realized that becoming an apprentice meant all of this. He had known Snape was pretty serious about it by the way he had talked about things in Master Barclay's office, but this was way more intense than he imagined.

"We will talk more about the details of the apprenticeship as the week goes on. For now, I want to impress on you the importance of these rules. No disrespect, no willful disobedience, and absolutely no lying. Do you understand what I've said?

"Yes, sir."

"Good, because your grace period is officially over, Mr. Potter," Snape said before taking a moment and focusing his eyes on Harry. "The next time you break any of these rules, you will find yourself on the receiving end of a very sound spanking."

Harry's ears flushed and he avoided making eye contact with Snape, praying that this was the end of the conversation. He was mortified to think Snape would actually spank him, but having been on the receiving end of a few of his smacks, he didn't doubt for one minute that Snape meant every word.

"You've had a long day, go to your room and rest. I'll come get you when it's time for tea."

Harry pushed himself up from the couch and made his way toward his room. Now that Snape had mentioned it, he was feeling pretty exhausted.

As he walked past Snape, the man reached out and put his hand on Harry's arm, "I meant it earlier when I said I was very proud of you today." He gave him a pat and sent him on his way.

Harry closed his door and flopped onto his bed. He was on the verge of tears. He didn't know why those few simple words made him feel so emotional, but he couldn't help it. He took his glasses off and put them on his table before he buried his head in his pillow and cried quietly.

The tears were a release. It had been a very emotional day. Harry would never be able to put words to everything he was feeling because it was all too complex. His tears were the expression of so many things. He cried for the childhood he didn't have and the love he had missed out on. He cried for being abandoned, first by his parents and then by his relatives. He cried out of fear for his life and his uncertain future.

But they weren't all unhappy tears. He also cried because he felt hopeful in a way he never had before. His heart, which had always felt empty, was being filled by the fact that someone cared for him, believed in him, was proud of him and wanted him to succeed. He had never felt those feelings before, but they filled a need in him that he hadn't even known he was missing.

In less than five minutes, Harry had cried himself into a deep sleep.

An hour and a half later, Snape knocked on his door. He opened it to see the boy laying on his stomach on top of the blankets, dead asleep.

"It's time for tea," Snape's voice echoed loudly from the doorway.

When Harry didn't stir, Snape walked over and put his hand on the boy's forehead, feeling for signs of a fever. Thankfully, his skin felt cool.

He shook the boy's shoulder gently and said, "Wake up, Potter."

Harry finally opened his eyes and lifted his head up to see his Potion Master sitting on the edge of his bed. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck. He had been in such a deep sleep, he actually felt more exhausted and groggy now than he did before his nap. He groaned a bit and turned his head, laid back down on the pillow and shut his eyes.

"No, no you don't. Up you get, Mr. Potter," he gave him two light taps on the hip. "If I let you sleep now you'll never get to bed tonight."

Harry didn't budge. Snape considered just leaving him alone, hoping he would just sleep til morning, but it was only 5:30pm. He didn't want the boy getting up and wandering in the middle of the night again.

Snape waited a bit before adopting a slightly harsher tone. "Potter, I said get up. Now move it." He waited another moment before giving him a light smack on the rear. "Come on, let's go."

Harry groaned again but rolled himself over into a sitting position. He grabbed his glasses and put them on. "But I'm sooo tired."

"Yes, I'm sure you are. That's what happens to naughty little boys who wander around the castle all night when they should be in bed." He arched his eyebrow at Harry for emphasis.

Harry turned red. He had hoped Snape had forgotten about that whole situation. He was not eager to revisit that conversation anytime soon.

Snape stood up and walked to the door before turning around to Harry, "I haven't forgotten, Mr. Potter. But I had hoped that my little lecture on lying and the importance of trust might have made you reflect a bit on your...explanation," he said casually as he disappeared through the doorway.

Dammit. Harry went to freshen himself up in the washroom before returning to the parlor. He splashed his face with water and combed his hair. What the hell does he want me to do? Tell him I lied? If he knows I'm lying why doesn't he just punish me and get it over with. I'm not going to confess to him, that's nuts.

By the time Harry made it back to the parlor, Snape had set-up a small tea service with a few biscuits and some fresh fruit. Harry sat down on the couch and yawned.

"You may help yourself to tea and biscuits," Snape said, motioning to the table. "But no more than two, I want you to be able to eat dinner later."

Snape wanted to keep things light, but he had an agenda to get through. "So, Potter, I was thinking we should make some plans for this week."

Harry poured himself a cup of tea and grabbed a biscuit, dipping it into his tea and then pulling it out just before it collapsed in his cup. Perfect. He popped it in his mouth and let the biscuit dissolve.

"I am going to set you a schedule so we can see how things go and make adjustments from there. You'll be working on your school work in the mornings, and in the afternoons and evenings we'll do some work in the potions lab or related to the apprenticeship."

"But it's Easter break, it's a school holiday, no one is doing school work!" Harry whined, not wanting to study while everyone else was relaxing at home.

"Well, isn't that rich coming from the boy I found laying on a beach after missing nearly an entire year of school." Snape chided him gently. "I think you've had quite enough of a break from school work, Mr. Potter. Besides, I need to see where you are with everything so I can determine what speed we will work at. I was hoping by the end of next summer we will have caught you up with both the second and third year curricula."

"Fine." Harry said, not hiding the disappointment in his voice.

"Good, then I hope I won't hear any more complaining." He gave Harry a stern look as a warning to mind his attitude. "You will wake up each day at 7:30am, then shower and get ready. We will have breakfast at 8. Then I will set you up with your morning assignments in my study which you will begin at 8:30. You will work until noon and then take a break for lunch."

He's a slave driver. Just like I thought. "Can I take a break before lunch?"

"I think that can be arranged. Now, after lunch our schedule will vary some. There will be some days where you'll help me brew potions, and other days where we might need to run errands or harvest ingredients, or perhaps even read and discuss research papers. But this will be time that you and I spend together preparing you for the apprenticeship."

This actually sounded much more interesting to Harry. "So, we'll be working together, or will I be like, scrubbing cauldrons and dicing flobberworms while you do all the fun stuff."

Snape stifled a smile. "I suppose that depends on how you behave, Mr. Potter. I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility."

Harry gave a small pout and Snape smirked. "However, the purpose of this is for you and I to spend quality time together, so we can discuss things and we can learn how to work with each other."

"OK, cool," Harry said, trying not to sound too excited. He was actually really looking forward to spending this time with Snape, learning new things and secret magic that no other students would ever know.

"In the evenings you'll have free time, assuming you are caught up with your school work. When the students come back, you may be able to spend time with your friends for a few hours, or go out flying, but until we finalize things, you'll stay inside. Do you have any hobbies, Mr. Potter?"

"Um, not really. Just quidditch I guess." He'd never really thought about it- he spent most of his free time at school just kind of hanging out with Ron and Hermione. Sometimes they played cards or chess, but he didn't really have a hobby of his own.

"Do you like reading? Or drawing? Or writing? I'd like to help you find an activity that you can do, quietly, to relax your mind when you have some down time."

Harry looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. I mean, I like reading OK, but sometimes I get distracted and I forget to focus on the words and then I don't remember anything."

"Hmmm, yes, well, we'll have to work on that. I'm sure that doesn't help your studying at all."

Snape reflected for a moment. "Perhaps we can take a trip into Hogsmeade tomorrow and pick up some different activities for you to try. That way you can pick out any books or art supplies or anything you're interested in and try them out. Having a hobby you enjoy can be a wonderful stress reliever."

Snape was actually a bit worried about Harry's mental health and coping skills. He wanted to help him find outlets for his stress and anxiety. He knew that the boy often got in trouble when he got wound up, so he hoped he could find ways to help him express himself in a more healthy way.

"That would be really great! Thanks!" Harry was excited about this. He had never had anything of his own to play with or enjoy as a kid. He liked the idea of a hobby that was all his.

"Excellent. Then we'll get started tomorrow. I want you ready for bed tonight by 8:30pm. Lights off by 9pm."

9pm? I'm not a baby, what the hell. Harry wanted to complain, but he figured he had pushed Snape enough for one day. He'd choose his battles wisely. "Yes, sir."

Harry and Snape spent a relatively calm evening together. After dinner, Harry went back to his room to organize all of his schoolbooks and unpack all of his potion's supplies. He spent a lot of time holding and looking over each tool, and arranging them neatly in different ways. He felt really excited, he couldn't wait to get started learning all of the cool things Snape would teach him.

When it was time for lights out, Snape knocked on the door and opened it to find Harry sitting on the floor near his bookshelf, carefully arranging his potion's tools onto the shelf. For the second time that day, Snape felt his heart flicker with an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. It was like his heart had been in hibernation for 20 years and was just starting to wake up again. Stop being so damn sentimental, Severus.

"It's 9 o'clock, Mr. Potter, time for lights out."

Harry was already in his pajamas, so he got up from the floor and walked directly to bed, pushing his legs under the blankets before pulling the covers up to his chest.

Snape walked over to the side of Harry's bed and held out his hand, "Glasses." Harry took them off and put them in his hand. Snape folded them gently and put them on the bedside table. With a flick of his wand, the lights in the room dimmed.

He pulled Harry's desk chair beside his bed and sat down.

"You've had a very long and tiring day. I hope that you can sleep well tonight and get some good rest, you're going to have to dust the cobwebs off that brain of yours tomorrow." He gently tapped the side of Harry's head with his finger.

"I shouldn't need to say this, but you are not allowed to leave this room for any reason other than going to the loo. There will be no 'sleepwalking' tonight, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." Harry was glad the lights were low so that Snape couldn't see his face go pink.

"I'm very serious. You're all out of second chances, Mr. Potter." He gave the boy a stern look. "When I come in to wake you at 7:30 tomorrow, I want to see a well-rested boy who has been asleep in his bed all night."

"Yes, sir. I won't go anywhere, I promise."

"So good to hear, a very wise choice indeed." Snape put his hand on Harry's forehead and brushed down gently, closing Harry's eyes. "Close your eyes. I want you to practice calming your mind. This is a very important skill for a wizard."

Snape took his hand away from Harry's face and rested it at his side. "First, I want you to take a deep breath in, hold it...and now let it out slowly. I want you to keep your eyes closed and listen very carefully to the sound of my voice...Now, I want you to picture a place that makes you feel relaxed. It can be a real place or it can be a place you imagine. Whatever makes you feel calm. For some people it's a quiet beach, for others a meadow, some even imagine they are floating in space. Do you have a place in your mind?"

Snape's low, silky voice was like a calming draught and Harry was already starting to feel sleepy. "Yes sir, I'm laying in the grass by a river."

"Very good, Mr. Potter, very good." His voice was soothing and he was speaking very slowly, keeping his voice at just above a whisper. "I want you to keep your eyes closed and imagine everything you feel at your little place by the river. I want you to feel the soft grass underneath you. Feel it on your legs, on your arms, on your neck. Feel it on the palms of your hands as you move your hand gently on top of it. Feel how soft the ground is beneath your, it's like laying on a cloud. Now feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. I want you to imagine a warm pleasant breeze is moving over your face, and your arms, and your body. Now I want you to listen...What do you hear in your special place? Can you hear the sound of the river water, slowly babbling over the rocks? Listen for the sounds of the nature around you, are there birds or is it quiet? Can you hear the blades of grass moving next to your ears when the wind blows gently? Now listen for the sounds of your own breath, in and out, in and out. If you are very quiet, can you hear and feel your heart beating? Focus on your heart beat. That's very good, Mr. Potter. You're doing a very good job."

Snape looked down and saw that Harry was fast asleep. He hoped that if he started to teach him these relaxation exercises, he would slowly be able to teach him the skills he would need later to learn Occlumency. He knew that Harry was an anxious boy, so he wanted to teach him the power of his own mind so he could learn to quiet the noise inside of him.

He got up slowly and moved the chair back to the desk. As he left, he flicked his wand to extinguish the light completely. He closed the door gently behind him.

Standing in the hallway, he debated for a moment before casting another few spells to put wards and alarms on the doors. He didn't think Harry would dare try and leave, but he didn't want to take any chances.

The next morning, Snape awoke feeling refreshed for the first time in days. He showered and dressed himself and made himself a cup of tea before waking Harry.

Snape knocked on Harry's door before opening it slowly. Harry was tangled up in his sheets and still asleep.

"It's 7:30, Mr. Potter, time to wake up."

Harry forced himself to sit up and reached for his glasses.

"You have 30 minutes to shower, dress, and take care of your personal needs before breakfast. Don't dawdle."

Snape closed the door and returned to the parlor to enjoy his tea and The Daily Prophet. At 8am, Harry came out with his hair wet (but combed), wearing his grey trousers and one of his white button-downs. Snape was surprised to see him dressed up, but he was pleased that he seemed ready to get to work.

After breakfast, Harry ran to his room to get his books. Snape walked him to a locked door on the other side of his parlor. Harry had never really noticed the door, it had been closed and locked the whole time he'd been there. It turned out to be a door to Snape's study, but because it also connected directly to the Potion's lab and to the hallway, he generally kept it separate from his living quarters.

Snape's study was rather large and in addition to his desk, there were shelves filled with reference books and random knick knacks. There were a few odd things in jars, but they seemed to be more for display than use in potions.

Like Master Barclay, Snape had a sofa along one wall, and a separate round table surrounded by chairs where Harry imagined groups of students would sit for a special study group or meeting.

Snape set Harry up at the round table. He put parchment and quills on the table and gestured at Harry to put his books down.

"Today you will start with Transfiguration and History of Magic. I've outlined your work on this piece of parchment. You are to read and take notes on the pages listed. There is a writing assignment listed for each when you have completed the reading."

Snape handed Harry the list of assignments for each subject. "You will work quietly and diligently until 10:30 at which point you may take a ten minute break. I will be working at my desk but I expect not to be disturbed unless it is urgent. Do you have any questions?

"No, sir."

"Very well, then get to work."

Snape returned to his desk where he could keep an eye on Harry while he took care of his own to-do list. He wrote letters to Dumbledore and Barclay, and then spent his time sketching out what he wanted to do with Harry during the week.

The morning passed without incident. When Snape checked Harry's work at noon, he realized that the boy was a lot further behind than he realized. His work still looked like it belonged to a beginning first-year, terribly researched, poorly constructed and filled with spelling and grammatical errors. Snape would have to adjust the way he was doing this, he didn't think Harry would get a lot out of purely independent work at this point.

During lunch, Snape received a message from Dumbledore requesting to meet with him as soon as possible to go over his meeting with Master Barclay and to discuss plans to move forward with the APM and the Ministry.

"I will need to step out for a little while, Mr. Potter, I have some meetings to attend to. You and I will still do some work together later, but in the meantime I want you to do some reading for Potions."

Harry was crushed that Snape was leaving him alone during the time that they were supposed to be doing work together. He had been looking forward to this since yesterday.

"I'm going to give you a special Potion's book, not one of our usual textbooks, and I want you to do a different kind of assignment for me. After you browse through the book, I want you to find a potion that you find interesting, and write out all of the ingredients needed to brew it, and where to find each of those ingredients. Next I want you to write about what you think might be easy or hard about brewing the potion, and what you think is really important or unique about the process."

Harry was frustrated and he sat with his arms crossed on the sofa, choosing not to engage with Snape as he explained the assignment.

Snape didn't seem to notice that Harry was throwing a silent tantrum. Leaving the boy wasn't at all what he had planned for the day, but he needed to give him something to do while he took care of important business.

"It's OK to choose something challenging, I want you to write about what interests you, what you want to learn and why you want to learn it."

Snape went into his study for a moment and came out with a large book and handed it to Harry.

Harry took the book but didn't say a word and refused to make eye-contact.

Snape was too busy rushing around and thinking about his meeting with Dumbledore, he wanted to finish quickly so he could still do some work with Harry and take a trip to Hogsmeade.

"You can work in the study or you can work in your room, I'll leave the door to the study open. I should be back by 3:30 at the latest"

Snape walked out leaving Harry sitting on the couch holding the Potion's book and sulking. Harry was tired of sitting and reading by himself, he'd been doing that all day. He looked at the clock and it was only 1 o'clock.

It was the first time he'd been alone in the quarters since the first day. His thoughts went immediately to his invisibility cloak. I could leave for a bit and he'd never know. He didn't find out last time. Plus, he was desperate for a change of scenery.

He thought about the last conversation he had with Snape and he knew that if he got caught he'd be in big big trouble. But as long as he came back quickly, he could still get everything done and Snape would never know. Screw him and his rules. He does what he wants, so I'm going to do what I want.

Without a second thought, Harry ran to Snape's room and grabbed his invisibility cloak out of the wardrobe. Just holding it in his hand he felt that euphoric rush of excitement and adrenaline, it made his mind feel both energized and relaxed. He threw the cloak on and walked out the door.

Snape had just about reached Dumbledore's office when his wand vibrated and glowed green, alerting him that his wards had been breached. He stopped dead in his tracks. If that boy has left our quarters, I swear I will kill him.

He let Dumbledore know that he'd have to come back later, and he returned immediately to the dungeons. His heart was racing, hoping that Harry wasn't sick or injured. He wanted to believe there was a good explanation, especially after the long conversation he'd had with the boy yesterday.

When he got to his quarters, they were empty. The potion's book was sitting on the couch and Harry was nowhere in sight. Remembering his invisibility cloak, Snape went to his wardrobe, reached up to the shelf and realized it was gone. That arrogant, disobedient little brat! Oh, he is going to get it this time.

He closed his bedroom door (this time locking it with his wand), and went back to the parlor. He didn't know whether he should go looking for the boy or wait for him to return. If he had his invisibility cloak, tracking him down would be difficult. If he wasn't back in 30 minutes he'd go looking for him, for now he would sit and wait.

Not sure what else to do, he retreated to his armchair. He thought about exactly what he was going to do to the boy so that he never, ever even thought about disobeying him like this again.

Harry felt elated as he returned to the dungeons. It had been such a beautiful day, so he had walked around by the lake and laid out in the grass for a bit. The fresh air, and the adventure of sneaking out had energized him and put him in a very good mood.

Although he didn't have a watch, he figured he'd only been gone about 30 or 40 minutes. He'd still have plenty of time to read Snape's stupid potion book and put some words on a parchment before the old bat got back.

He opened the door and took off his cloak. He was about to hop on the sofa when he looked up and saw Professor Snape, sitting quietly in the armchair, rage in his eyes.

Harry gasped audibly. The blood drained from his face completely and he thought he might actually pass out..

Snape let the silence hang in the air for several seconds, increasing the tension in the room.

"Mr. Potter...how very disappointing," Snape drawled, his tone seething with cold rage. He got up from his chair slowly and walked over to Harry. Without a word, he put his hand out.

Harry put the folded cloak into his hand and let his head drop. "I'm sorry," he said, his eyes starting to fill with tears.

Snape was unmoved. "Oh, trust me, you will be when I'm finished with you," he replied, his voice low and foreboding.

He put the cloak into his robes and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at Harry. At 6'2", Snape towered over the boy, and with his jaw clenched and his black eyes narrowed, he was a very intimidating presence. He waited for a few more seconds before he spoke, he wanted Harry to sense his displeasure.

Snape was glad he'd had half an hour to think about things and get his emotions under control. He knew that he would have a much bigger impact on Harry if he were measured and cold, rather than angry and emotional.

"So, let me get this right. You not only disobeyed my instructions to sit quietly and do your assignment, you then went into my bedroom-a place you know is off-limits, I might add-and proceeded to search through my wardrobe without my permission. Am I on track so far?"

Harry didn't respond, his eyes were staring at the floor and he was fighting tears of shame.

"Then, having rifled through my private things, you decided to steal an item that had been taken out of your possession due to prior misuse. Not satisfied with that, you decided to take this item, leave the dungeons and gallivant around the castle despite being told on no less than FOUR occasions that it was dangerous and forbidden."

Tears were falling from Harry's face onto the floor.

"Get your eyes off the floor. Look at me when I'm speaking to you," Snape barked.

Harry kept his head down but lifted his eyes up. Snape's face was fixed and hard, and there was anger in his eyes. It sent a shiver down Harry's spine.

"Is this correct, Mr. Potter or am I missing something?

"No, sir. That's it."

"Is that it? I find myself wondering, given how quickly you left here after my departure, if this wasn't the first time you've done this. Is it, Mr. Potter?

Harry knew he was in so much trouble. He kept silent and prayed that the floor would open up and swallow him.

Snape stared at him for a moment before adding "I'd suggest you not add lying to your list of transgressions, Mr. Potter, you've already built up quite a tab."

"No, sir. I went out before," Harry squeaked out, tears still running down his cheeks.

Snape had suspected so much, but he wanted to hear him admit to it. "How many times?"

"Only once with the cloak, sir."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Were there other times without the cloak?"

Harry wanted to die, but he knew Snape was probably going to kill him anyway. "Well, there was the night you found me in the Owlery"

Finally! Snape had known it all along, but he had wanted Harry to admit to it. "I see. So, just to clarify, you weren't sleep-walking then?"

Harry sobbed out, "No, sir."

"Tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Potter. How many times did you lie about that to my face? I gave you so many opportunities to tell the truth. Do you remember what I said I would do to you if I found out you were lying about that?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's that, then?"

Harry didn't think he could say it. He felt so embarrassed. "You said...you said you'd punish me."

"Be specific, I'm sure you must have heard me, what did I say I'd do?"

"Spank me." Just saying the words made Harry feel like a small child. He could feel the blood rushing to his ears.

"Oh yes, Mr. Potter and that was a promise. Although you have committed quite the list of transgressions. I'm not sure a single spanking is going to cover it."

Snape let that sink for a moment before he proceeded.

"I don't think I need to reiterate how extremely disappointed I am in you. While I don't excuse your behavior prior today, after our talk yesterday you knew—without a shadow of a doubt—that you were disobeying me when you left today. Did you not?

"Yes, sir."

"Then what were you thinking?"

"I don't know...I guess I just wanted to do something fun. And I was mad that you left me here after you said this was time we were supposed to spend together"

Snape couldn't help it, he smirked. "Well you certainly have my full attention now, Mr. Potter. Now that my meetings are on hold, I will make sure that you and your backside get plenty of quality one-on-one time with me today."

Snape wanted as much build-up as possible. The spanking itself would last less than a minute, but If he was going to punish the boy, he wanted him to experience all of the fear and anticipation that he hoped would add to the production of it. He wanted this to be the first and the last time Harry ever even thought about disobeying him like this. He was a big believer in the psychological aspect of the punishment, so he was laying it on thick, hoping to make a strong impression.

"So, in your own words, you did it because you just...wanted to. Did you not understand me yesterday when I explained the rules to you?

"Yes sir, I did."

"Did you think you were smarter than me and that somehow you wouldn't get caught?

Harry was silent.

"Ah, I see." Snape walked over and closed the door to the study, flicking his wand at it, locking it. Then he swooped his wand in a circle above him, casting a silencing charm around the parlor, casually, without disrupting his lecture.

This did not go unnoticed by Harry. He felt his pulse quicken and his stomach sink. There was no way he was getting out of this.

"And I suppose you must think that you know better than me if you decided to ignore the rules I've put in place for your safety. Do you think your powers of assessment are superior to mine, Mr. Potter?"

Harry hated these rhetorical questions and he couldn't stand it any more, so the next thing he knew, he was blurting out. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I did it. It made me feel good. When I had my cloak and I went off on a secret adventure, it just made me feel...happy. And free. I know I shouldn't have done it, I'm really sorry. Really really sorry."

Harry was practically begging for forgiveness. He felt awful. He hadn't liked lying to Snape and he hated letting him down.

"Well then, it seems to me that you knew the rules and made the decision to deliberately disobey me. I don't think there's much more to discuss. Come on, let's get this over with."

Snape grabbed Harry's wrist and walked him across the parlor. He sat down on the couch, standing the boy to the side of him.

"Glasses," Snape said, with his hand extended. Harry took off his glasses and put them in his hands. He tucked them into his robes.

Ever one to drag out the anticipation, Snape made a dramatic point of slowly unbuttoning and then rolling up his right sleeve. Then he took Harry's left forearm and pulled him gently over his knees.

"Do you know why you are being punished or do we need to review your extensive list of transgressions again?"

"Yes sir, I know." There was a certain amount of acceptance in his tone. Harry knew what he'd done wrong, and he knew this was coming. He would be glad to get it over with, the lecturing and the build-up had been absolute torture. He just wanted it to all be finished so Snape wouldn't be angry at him anymore.

"Very well." Snape's hand came down hard on Harry's backside. It took him a moment to recover from the shock of the first smack, but within a few seconds his entire backside felt like it was on fire.

Harry squirmed and yelped, but Snape held him securely around the waist and kept the smacks coming down at a regular pace. By the 10th smack, Harry was in tears, begging Snape to stop.

"We are far from done here, Mr. Potter. I intend to make this a lesson you remember for a very long time."

He continued raining down smacks. After another 30 seconds, Harry was a sobbing mess. Snape stopped for a moment to talk to Harry. "That was the spanking for what you did today. For trespassing, for stealing your cloak, and for deliberately disobeying me and putting yourself in danger by leaving the quarters."

"As for the fact that you snuck out twice before and lied repeatedly to me about it, I'm going to give you an additional six strokes with a ruler. I'm half tempted to haul you back over my knee again tonight to give you a second spanking just for lying to me, but hopefully this will make a strong enough impression."

"Accio ruler." A ruler came flying across the room from Snape's desk. He caught it with his right hand.

Harry was still crying over Snape's lap. Snape waited for a moment and then brought the ruler down hard with a loud crack. Harry yelped. Snape paused between smacks, he wanted Harry to feel each one. "You will NEVER leave these quarters without permission EVER again." He gave him another smack. "You do NOT disobey me" he brought down another smack. "And as for the lying." He gave him a particularly hard smack. "That ends NOW." He aimed the last two hard smacks on Harry's sit spots to drive the message home.

After the sixth stroke Harry just laid there sobbing. Snape set the ruler down on the couch and put a hand on Harry's back.

"It's finished now, you've been thoroughly punished Mr. Potter, and now it's over." He reached down and gently grasped Harry's arm, lifting him off his lap and setting him down on the couch.

Harry was crying so hard he was barely breathing. It wasn't just because the spanking had hurt- which it had- but because he felt terrible. Disappointing Snape was one the worst feelings in the world. He was afraid that Snape would never trust him again. What if he doesn't want me as an apprentice anymore? He said he wouldn't teach me if he couldn't trust me. These thoughts just made Harry cry harder.

Snape let him cry for a moment before he spoke. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the boy.

"That's enough. You need to breathe, Potter. There's no need to work yourself into hysterics over a few smacks. It's over. Now take a deep breath and calm yourself." Snape's words were firm but soothing.

Snape watched as the boy attempted to slow his breathing. After a few moments, he continued. "I don't know what possessed you to behave this way, Mr. Potter, but I hope it is very clear to you now that I mean exactly what I say. I have these rules for a reason. All of them. I had hoped you would trust me enough to follow them, but, regrettably, you needed to see for yourself that I am a man of my word. If you break these rules, there will be consequences. I hope that you've learned your lesson but if not, I will be here to do this again and again until you decide you're ready to behave responsibly."

Even though he was lightly scolding the boy, he was using the same calm voice he'd used the other night when he'd done the relaxation exercise. It had the desired effect and Harry was breathing normally now and was visibly less upset.

"I'm sorry. I really am." Harry said, with tears welling in his eyes again.

"I know you are. And now that you've been punished, we will move on from this. I'm not angry with you and I don't want you feeling upset any more. But I do want you to know that your days of running around like a feral child are finished, Mr. Potter. I am the one looking out for you now, and I will keep you safe, but it will be a lot easier if you listen to me."

Harry sniffled loudly before looking at Snape. "But, what if you don't want me now. You said for the apprenticeship that we had to trust each other, and I ruined that." Harry put his head down into his hands.

Snape put his hand under Harry's chin and pulled his face up gently. "Look at me- I punished you because you broke the rules and made some very poor decisions. And while I hope you don't make them again, it does not change my decision to care for you and teach you and make you my apprentice. You're a 12 year-old boy. You are going to make mistakes. It is my job to help you learn from them and figure out how to do better. What kind of teacher would I be if I kicked a student out of my class every time they didn't know the answer?"

He put a hand on Harry's back and gave him a pat. "Now go to the washroom and splash some water on your face." Snape stood up and pulled Harry up with them. He reached into his robes and handed him back his glasses. "Take a moment and collect yourself. Off you go."

Harry walked to the bathroom and closed the door. His backside was still on fire. He reached back and gave it a rub, trying to lessen the discomfort. Idiot he said to himself in the mirror. Let's try to avoid that in future, it bloody hurts! To be honest, he was already feeling better, the sharp sting was going away and now it was just a dull throb and a radiating warmth. He splashed his face with water and took another deep breath.

Now that it was all over, Harry felt embarrassed for having been punished like a little kid. Just thinking about it made his face burn red as he walked back into the parlor. He was glad to see Snape had gone to the kitchen. He sat down gingerly on the couch and waited patiently.

He heard Snape's voice calling out from the kitchen. "Do you want tea?"

Harry wasn't really in the mood, but he could see that Snape felt the need to do something for him. "Sure, thanks."

Snape pulled out two mugs and put tea bags in them while he waited for the kettle. When the water was boiling he filled the cups. He dropped two sugar cubes in Harry's cup and added a dash of milk. He stirred it with a spoon before dunking the tea bag several more times and then squeezing it up against the side of the cup with a spoon. He pulled out the tea bags, and brought the two mugs back to the parlor.

He handed one to Harry and then sat in his armchair. He let them sit in silence for a minute before he spoke again. "I had planned to take us to Hogsmeade this afternoon to do some shopping...not that you deserve it after the stunt you pulled." He narrowed his eyes at Harry, but he was struggling to keep a straight face and Harry knew he was giving him a hard time.

"Is this the part where I throw myself at your feet and beg you to take me?" Harry asked, giving him a cheeky grin.

"Oh, Potter, you'll have to do better than that. I want to know all about how cruel your guardian is and how much you've suffered. Then maybe some heartfelt tearful regrets and of course, countless promises of how you'll never be naughty ever again. Throwing yourself at my feet would be a nice touch, but I'd expect you to be fully committed to the entire performance."

Harry smiled, he liked this Snape. The one who pretended to be serious when he was really just being snarky.

"As much as I've enjoyed this unexpected quality time we've had," Snape drawled sarcastically, "I didn't get a chance to have my meeting with Professor Dumbledore because someone broke through the wards and forced me to come back early" Snape raised his eyebrow and gave Harry one of his signature looks.

Harry's eyes got wide and he turned his head toward his professor with a look of surprise.

"Oh yes, Potter, you didn't think I would forget to put wards up after your little adventure the other night? You're not the only one who sometimes has to learn the hard way. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice...well, that will never happen."

Harry turned red and stared down at his tea. Dammit, I didn't think he'd actually put up wards! Sneaky git.

"I'll be back shortly. I want you to stay in your room until I return. While I'm gone, you will sit at your desk and write 'I will not lie to Professor Snape, nor will I sneak around behind his back, invade his privacy or steal from him to satisfy my own disobedient whims' 100 times."

Harry groaned before Snape added,"I don't think I need to remind you of what will happen if you so much as step a toe outside of your room." He picked up the thick wooden ruler from the couch and tapped it against his palm several times before walking over to his desk, opening the top drawer and putting it inside. He closed the drawer loudly for added flair.

Snape returned to the couch and put his hand on Harry's shoulder, "Go to your room and work on your lines. If you get finished and you're bored, you can read this." He picked up the potions book and put it in Harry's hands. Then he tapped his arm, "Off you go."

Harry walked to his room, potion's book in his hand, dreading having to sit on a hard chair and write those stupid lines. Evil git, he knows exactly what he's doing. He just wants me to suffer. Just as he reached his bedroom door, he heard Snape's voice.

"If you behave yourself and finish your lines, we will go to Hogsmeade when I get back. And you won't even have to throw yourself on the floor and beg. You can tell me later what a kind and generous guardian I am."

Snape smirked as he left his quarters.