The boy walking beside him looked like he had just been released from jail. He wore hideous grey sweatpants and a matching jumper giving him the appearance of a common criminal. He sported a bruise on his temple and his lip was puffy as if he had come straight out of a prison fight. The scowl on his face didn’t help. Neither did his dragging his feet.

“Potter!”

The boy glanced up through his fringe and bestowed a green-eyed glare upon his professor. Severus couldn’t help noticing how much clearer they were without these horrible glasses. That reminded him. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the round frames. Without a word, he held them out to the slowly approaching boy. When Potter came into arm’s distance he reached out a hand as if he wanted to  keep contact with his greasy potion’s master to a minimum. Severus sneered. The feeling was quite mutual.

When the brat made no move to put his glasses on, Severus grew impatient.
“What? Can’t even find your own nose without these things on?”
The boy didn’t speak. After a moment, he put on the frames squinting through them.
“Well, finally. May we proceed then, Prince Potter?”
The glare again. Although it lost much of its heat fixed on him through the thick glasses myopically. Severus shook it of easily. Then he continued to stride off across the parking lot.

He couldn’t help himself. Having finally found the foolish boy after more than a week he simply had to let off some steam. And who better to direct it at than the object of his wild goose chase around Great Britain. This foolish, conceited, selfish brat! That blasted, infuriating ruddy little urchin! That- Severus’ thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he noticed that Potter wasn’t following him. In three quick strides, Severus was back at his side. Grabbing the idiotic child’s arm, he started to drag him along. The boy stumbled. Severus just hissed and tightened his hold.

Damn Potter! This was all his fault! If it weren’t for the witless brat Severus could have been at home now. He could have enjoyed a nice cuppa in his garden that seemed to thrive with new life after the storm. He had to remember clearing it up where the storm had torn down a few branches of the wiggentrees. Maybe he could have already had them prepared for potions if it wasn’t for that infernal boy.

He could have installed that cat flap for Felix or watched Star Trek. He could have finally had a look at The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a late birthday present from Dumbledore. He had been curious ever since January, as he had found Albus’ taste in muggle literature to be quite good in the past, but hadn’t had the time to read it yet. And most importantly, he could have thought about how to find Ben. Blasted Potter!

Severus jerked him to a halt on the corner of a deserted alley. He looked around. It had to suffice.
“Potter!” he addressed the boy who didn’t even possess the courtesy to look at him.
“You’re staying here. No running off. You won’t like the consequences if I have to chase you down again!”
He shook the boy for good measure before leaving him standing beside a trashcan and going deeper into the alley himself.

“Headmaster,” he started when he had conjured his Patronus making sure his back covered its entire form.
“I have found Potter. Where shall I take him?”

Short and to the point. That had always been his preferred mode of communication. While he waited, he turned back to Potter slightly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. The boy leaned, no slumped on the wall as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Oh, how Severus hated his arrogant demeanour. If school were in session, the brat wouldn’t have stepped so much as a toe out of the dungeons after Severus was finished with him. A month detention, alas two months at least, for this imbecilic, irresponsible, asinine stunt the daft, moronic little br-

“Severus, that’s wonderful news” Dumbledore’s voice coming out of the beak of a silvery phoenix interrupted. “Please take Harry with you for the moment. The Weasleys and Grangers are out of the country and the same goes for me.” Severus hated the calm with which the headmaster spoke.
“Remus can’t take him, the full moon is but a week away. Besides Grimmauld Place still isn’t safe and I’m sure your home can provide some safety when in all these years I couldn’t get you to talk about it more. Bye bye bye!”

“What?!” Severus exclaimed so loud that Potter turned around looking at him through narrowed eyes. Instantly Severus’ temper flared. Quick as lightening, he crossed the distance between him and the boy grabbed him and started to drag him inside the alley as well. He didn’t even warn the brat of the imminent change of location they would undergo.

The boy stumbled on the small street. His small street. In the distance, Severus could see the ocean, its deep summer blue mocking him. Merlin, if he hadn’t known him better, Severus would have thought the brat would heave up his breakfast. Of course, it was all just show.

“Potter! Snap out of it! I don’t have the patience for your attention-seeking.”

Severus walked away and opened the gate to his front garden. He glanced at the other gate down the street and the empty windows briefly before turning back to the nuisance still staggering about the street. Under the influence of his famous teacher-glare, the boy finally came to his senses and quickly made his way over to Severus.

He looked around bewildered. Merlin’s beard, the boy had less brain cells than the common amoeba.
“Where- where are we? – Sir.” was hastily tacked on upon looking at his teacher. Severus cocked one eyebrow and unlocked his front door.

Directing his best sneer down at the boy, he threw his arm in a wide circle and smiled a mean little smile.

“Well Potter. Welcome! Home sweet home.”

If this was a bad dream, he wanted to wake up now. Not two days ago, he had joked about Snape finding him at the Youth Centre. Well, this was more than a bad joke. This was cruel. Guess the weird sisters struck again. Did they have to spin their threat just now of all times? Harry had known that this was just too good to be true. Just my luck!

He should’ve known. The whole day had started out badly.

First Lewy and his stupid friends had come into their room at night. Still angry about Ben interrupting their little fun time with Harry, they had met out their quick but nevertheless harsh revenge. Being held by Tom in deadlock, Harry couldn’t do anything but look on as the two boys pinned the tall boy down and threw their fists at him.
There was much blood. Ben hadn’t even fought back.

Alerted by the commotion some social workers had finally caught up and separated the fighting boys. Having turned on the lights, they took one good look at Ben and decided to cart him off to the infirmary. Harry had been left sitting shaken on his mattress. Why hadn’t he helped Ben? He should have struggled more against Tom and helped Ben as he had helped Harry. He didn’t get a wink of sleep that night.

The next morning dawned with a pale grey light. In Harry’s opinion, bad weather in summer was even more depressing than in winter.
Dejectedly he had gulped down his breakfast, the hot porridge doing nothing to lift his mood. He looked down at the empty place beside him. After eating, he had retreated to the small common room. In one corner, the TV was on and already a bunch of boys was sitting watching it out of unseeing eyes.
The steady stream of noise calmed Harry’s nerves somewhat and sitting down near the window, he pulled out his book.

He didn’t get very far. Even if he had taken in more of the words, he would’ve only gotten through a few pages.

“Harry?”

A social worker was standing just inside the door. It was the same one, who had stopped the fight that night. He still wore a worried frown as he looked over at Harry.

“There’s someone here to see you.”

Puzzled Harry stood up. Who could it be? Had Dumbledore found him? The social worker led him down one of the bright hallways Harry had liked so much in the beginning. Now there were just as depressing as the weather outside. They just deluded one into thinking these hallways were safe and happy. What a lie!

They arrived at a small room with carpeted floor. Harry could see a potted plant in the corner. The social worker put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. He flinched. The man quickly withdrew his arm and just motioned for Harry to go inside.

“Your uncle is here. Isn’t that great Harry? He was very worried,” the man spoke very quietly as if he feared Harry would snarl at him like a cornered animal.

Harry who was about to take a step into the room stopped dead in his tracks. There was the all too familiar tingling again. His uncle? He turned his head to the social worker silently pleading him out of round eyes to not send him inside this room.
The man just smiled.

“Come on Harry. I’m sure everything will be ok now.”
But Harry couldn’t hear him through the buzzing filling his ears. He only came to himself again when the social worker gently pushed him through the door.

Harry took on step into the room and just froze again.

There, wearing a grey shirt and muggle jeans was none other than his hated potion’s teacher Severus Snape.

The man was standing arms crossed beside the potted plant that had clearly seen better days. Upon seeing Harry, he let his arms fall to his sides as if in a relieved gesture and said,

“There you are! My, you don’t know how worried we were. Your aunt’s beside herself with fear for you!”

Harry had to give it to his greasy professor. The man really was an excellent actor. The concern etched in his voice, his posture, his face relaxing slightly when he saw Harry, all of it was done masterfully. He gulped.

“Hello sir.”

After apparently clearing the paperwork, Snape left the juvenile shelter in a near dead run leaving Harry trying to catch up to him breathlessly. Harry had barely been given enough time to pack his meagre belongings and snatch his wand from under his pillow. It was with apprehension and a lonely tear in his eye that he looked back at his bed. He couldn’t so much as glance at Ben’s.

They crossed the dreary parking lot Harry had arrived at not even five days ago.

“Potter!” Snape shouted and Harry hurried to follow him. Suddenly the teacher stopped and reached inside his pocket. Harry couldn’t supress a flinch when Snape jerkily held something out to Harry. It were his glasses, fully repaired and clean. Wary of his potion’s teacher, Harry reached out for them. Where had Snape found them? Harry turned the frames in his hands. He really hadn’t missed them. His vision was nearly as bad with them as without them.

“What? Can’t even find your own nose without these things on?”
Hastily Harry put the glasses on. Ugh! He had forgotten how bad these things were.
“Well, finally. May we proceed then, Prince Potter?”

Angrily Harry looked at Snape. Did he have to be this mean all the time? Unfortunately, he knew the answer to this question far too well. Lost in thought he only noticed that Snape hat stridden off again when the man made his way back to him fury written across his face.
Involuntarily Harry took a step back. But the potion’s master just grabbed his arm dragging Harry along.

He stumbled. Snape had longer legs. The man just tightened his hold painfully. Harry winced. Some of the bruises Uncle Vernon had bestowed upon him had not fully faded yet.

They came to a stop at the entrance to a back alley. A few trashcans stood around the place and debris littered the ground.

“Potter! You’re staying here,” Snape ordered gruffly. “No running off. You won’t like the consequences if I have to chase you down again!”
Harry’s teeth rattled when the man shook him. Then his least favourite teacher retreated into the alley.

He couldn’t see what Snape was doing but guessed he must have his ways to contact Dumbledore. He would surely send him back to his relatives. Harry tried breathing calmly and leaned heavily on the nearby wall. His hands were tingling again and his vision was more blurry than normal. Fighting to get himself back under control, he must have missed whatever Snape and Dumbledore had decided about his fate. Suddenly Snape was back at his side.

The following sensation of being pressed into a straw and shooting out at the other end as if someone had forced clumpy spoilt milk through it undid Harry. Struggling to get his feet under him was all he could do at this moment. His stomach protested this new absurd mode of magical transportation fiercely.

“Potter! Snap out of it! I don’t have the patience for your attention-seeking.”

Of course the man was also here. Harry groaned. Looking around the small street curiously, he followed the professor through a wooden gate. Had he seen something blue shining in the distance? Must have been a trick of the light. His nasty professor wouldn’t live by the sea. Gosh, he wouldn’t even know its joys, that Harry was absolutely certain of. Just to make sure he scraped together all of his remaining courage and asked,

“Where- where are we?” Remembering that politeness was always a safe bet he added, “Sir.”

But Snape didn’t so much as spare him a glance as he unlocked the front door to a nice two storey row house. Turning around and baring his crooked teeth in a truly frightening grin, he said,

 “Well Potter. Welcome! Home sweet home.”