Chapter 36

Divergence

xxx

Harry had been nothing short of exhausted by the time he'd actually made it to bed. Having walked several miles to Severus' house that day and having spent the remainder of the evening touring the house had been tiring in itself. To add to that, Severus had kept him for tea much longer than expected, and had insisted that Tibby would be severely disappointed if she were robbed of the opportunity to serve them dinner. Harry had been sure at the late time he'd been dismissed to go up to his room that sleep would come to him as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Unhappily, Harry was finding this to be quite untrue. As soon as he'd turned the lights out and crawled between the sheets of his new bed, his mind had decided to snap itself out of the sleepy haze that had befallen him hours ago. He attempted to force himself to sleep, squeezing his eyes tightly closed and even going so far as to count the imaginary sheep hopping over his head one by one. He soon found himself annoyed by the incessant bleating on which these little figments of his imagination insisted, and abandoned that attempt in favour of tossing and turning.

He supposed he was kept awake by the constant questioning of his actions that day… just what had caused him to be so irritable? He could have been worse, yes, but he had been unable to keep himself from picking fights with Severus over everything he said. He had been down right aggravating, and was surprised that Severus had put up with him for such a long time.

Staring up at the dark canopy over his bed, Harry rested his hands behind his head and began to mentally turn over the events of the day. Just what was it that he was feeling? Severus had done nothing wrong; not one remark had been made with the intention of provoking Harry- not even in jest. He had told Harry something he hadn't wanted to hear, yes… but Harry thought he had become rather adept at accepting criticism from the man, knowing he only gave it because he cared too much to sugar coat everything as others did. His reaction to Severus' comments had not come from anger… it had been something else. It didn't fit with the way he normally behaved… something was off, but what?

Everything had been fine at first. He had been glad to see the house; it was just a house, nothing to be amazed by, truly, but it had felt… like a new chapter in his life. He had been happy, and nothing short of agreeable.

He thought back to what he had said about Dumbledore. Had the mention of the old man's ignorance put him in such an irascible state? He hadn't dwelled on that in a long time; he'd started to come to terms with the fact that everyone makes mistakes. He had accepted what needed to be done … hadn't he?

Was it possible that Severus was right, and that this had been the factor to set him off? Perhaps he had finally been told something that he really didn't want to hear… someone had finally had the nerve to tell him to get over his boy-wonder drama. He'd been made to realize that he was whining over something he couldn't change, almost just for attention. He'd been made to realize that no matter how humble he tried to be, he still had this complex that made him think he deserved more than these problems. Severus was right; he was not the only one with problems. He wished he didn't have them… and so did every other person on the planet. His problems didn't make him special… had this slap in the face unnerved his subconscious so greatly that his behaviour had been a reaction?

That couldn't be it. If he had had that great a problem with what Severus had said, wouldn't he have confronted him? Well, perhaps not, but he would have known right away what was bothering him. He wouldn't be lying in this bed, staring around at his dark room, trying to figure out what explanation he would give Severus at breakfast the next morning… and he was going to give an explanation. He would not show his face until he had some way to apologize for the way he had acted… it had been his first day in Severus' house and he had made a complete arse of himself. Harry shook his head at this thought and brought his palm to his forehead. How embarrassing.

It had been something else. Think, Harry, think, he told himself. What had it been to set him off? When had his attitude suddenly changed?

Harry closed his eyes and visualized himself talking to Severus. He had started in the bedroom, and moved out into the hall… Oh, that was wonderful- so it had been right when Severus had shown him his room. His father showed him that he actually cared enough to come and fix up a room for him, even going so far as to take into consideration that he would prefer warm colours to cool, and he had turned around and behaved like that. How ungrateful did he seem?

Harry groaned and turned his face into his pillow. This was awful. How did girls think about emotions and actions and all that so often? Just reflecting the past twenty-four hours was painful. He couldn't possibly analyze every aspect of the day in hopes of figuring out just what he was feeling. He was at a loss; perhaps a simple apology, with a promise never to repeat this behaviour would do. He sighed. No, it wouldn't do.

Perhaps if he placed himself back in the moment. What had he been feeling at the time? He'd been minorly irritated by Severus' analysis, yes… but minor irritation couldn't have created the problem, he'd already decided that. He'd been tired, having had a long day… but he could go days without sleep and not act like a petulant primary scholar. He'd felt… he'd felt a little weird at being given so much attention… especially with the study, and the room… and… well, he had been a bit uncomfortable. He'd been grateful, nonetheless… but he had felt quite vulnerable, now that he thought about it.

Actually, there was something to that idea. He hadn't really realized it at the time… but no one had ever done this sort of stuff for him before. It ought to have made him feel… oh, he didn't know, warm and tingly inside? That was a funny thought- but yes, that's how it ought to have made him feel… and yet he hadn't. He'd felt uncomfortable- out of his element. Like the rug could be yanked out from underneath his feet at any moment, and he would have nowhere to go but down… that was an accurate description.

Could it have been this vulnerable feeling which had led to his behaviour? He couldn't really see why… why would feeling vulnerable make him act up? He sat up and flopped onto his stomach, hitting the pillow with a smallthud. It was so… confusing. Logically, feeling so susceptible should have made him do everything possible to keep Severus happy with him… maybe his brain just didn't work right. Maybe he was just… mentally wrong.

It was with this unhappy thought that Harry finally fell asleep half an hour later, having reached no other conclusions on his behaviour. As far as he was concerned, the only explanation lied in the fact that he did not function normally… and that was a problem that was going to have to be fixed.

xxx

Severus was, by nature, an early riser. Like most children, he'd always been the first one to rise in his house; unlike most children, he had never grown out of the habit. His home had never been peaceful, but he had found solitude in the earliest hours of the day; they had always been his favourite part of the day, even if they were the time when he was least pleasant. It was an odd mix; he liked the morning, but he wasn't a morning person.

Despite the good company Harry provided, Severus sincerely hoped that the boy was always a late riser when given the opportunity. He didn't want him to sleep the day away, naturally, but he knew he would be very unpleasant if he didn't have those few hours to himself.

Severus made his morning cup of tea with unusual haste, anxious to get into the library and ensure that any and all inappropriate books were out of Harry's reach… even on tip-toes. Given an inch, Harry would most likely take a mile- and Severus would take no chances. If the boy got his hands on any material that was so much as questionable, Severus would undoubtedly be blamed and Dumbledore would have just one more reason to constantly check up on them. Severus did not need the adjective 'irresponsible' tacked onto the long list of interchangeable words which often preceded his name in the course of conversation.

Severus entered the library and flicked his wand at the antique lamp sitting on his desk, giving dim light to the room. Knowing he would damage his already waning eyesight by reading the book titles in such soft light, he regretfully lifted his seldom-used glasses from his desk and slipped them over his hooked nose. He envisioned Harry standing in front of him. The boy came to just below his shoulder; he wasn't short, but he wasn't as tall as Severus… he would have to wager that he stood about five feet, eight inches tall. Lifting his hand to this mark on his chest, he swung his arm out to measure how high on the bookshelf this came. Moving his hand a few feet above that, where he would guess was the highest that Harry could reach, he tapped his wand on that row and the books illuminated blue. Satisfied, he nodded to himself and began reading through the titles on that shelf.

It didn't take him very long to come across a book which he knew to be inappropriate for Harry's age level. Nocturnicon: Calling Dark Forces and Powers was not what Severus would deem helpful reading material; he immediately climbed the ladder and placed it on the uppermost shelf.

Severus spent a good three hours reorganizing his library, and by eight that morning, the unpleasant task had been finished, along with three rejuvenating cups of tea. He settled behind his desk and admired his work. They books were neatly arranged on the top shelf; the lower ones had some gaps, for his dark arts collection was apparently larger than he had realized, but nonetheless, it looked organized… and that was the way Severus liked his books.

Leaning back in his chair, he wondered vaguely how long he had until Harry woke up. He'd known the boy to wake as early as six and as late as noon… he wasn't very predictable, that way. He didn't know exactly how he would act when the boy did surface, however, so he wasn't overly enthusiastic about the idea of Harry waking up soon.

He felt that, all in all, he had done an admirable job of controlling his temper the previous night. After reading what Harry had written earlier that week in Potions class, he'd been mentally preparing himself for the challenges that would be thrown at him during this holiday. However, he hadn't expected such an attitude from his son; the boy had acted far too immaturely for his liking. At the time, he had been focusing on keeping his temper at bay and disallowing Harry to receive a reaction; now, however, he was wondering if the boy ought to be reproached.

He supposed his next course of action could only be determined by Harry's apparent remorse, or lack there of, that morning. He wanted to see if the boy seemed to have learned his lesson on his own, as Severus had rather hoped he would. That had been the point of allowing him to have tea and conversation with him before bed, rather than immediate punishment… Harry was old enough to be allowed to come around on his own, when it came to things like this. The question was whether or not he was mature enough to actually do so.

Severus shook his head and removed his glasses, running a hand over his face. Parenting was much more tiring than he had ever imagined; he could easily run a room full of students by filling their hearts with fear, minds with lectures, and papers with notes. Rearing his own child, however, he had to take into account the relationship that needed to grow between them. He had to take into account the boys mental, physical, social, and emotional health, rather than merely his actions and their outcomes. He cared for the boy; he never imagined caring for a child would make things so difficult. If anything, he might have thought this would make things easier.

He now found himself spending half his time reflecting on the child's welfare, and worrying that he was not fulfilling his proper role as father. Merely thinking about this was exhausting; there were so many things to take into account. Harry was not his property, his student, or his charge- he was a delicate child whom he was responsible for strengthening and growing into a good adult.

A soft knock on the door soon interrupted Severus' thoughts. Recognizing the knock, he said tiredly, "Yes, Tibby?"

"Master Snape," Tibby greeted him, pausing in the doorway to curtsey. "A letter comes for you, sir," she said, holding up a plain white envelope.

Severus squinted from his desk; it had the Weasley family seal. He nodded and extended his hand. "Yes, I'll take that. Tibby, see to it that breakfast is served ten minutes from now, and notify Harry."

"Yes, sir," the elf complied quietly, leaving the room quickly. Severus supposed he ought to have given her more notice on breakfast; after all, she hadn't cared for humans in years. He shrugged at this thought and opened the letter.

Professor Snape, it started.

I realise that there are restraints on your time, and that this is on shorter notice than you might prefer, but I am writing to request some of yours and Harry's time today. My youngest son has informed me that Harry is currently under house arrest, but that he may receive visitors. Hermione Granger is visiting for the day and the three children have asked me to bring them to see Harry at some point; I was hoping that might be alright with you. If not, that is perfectly understandable. If you are agreeable to this, we will arrive mid-afternoon. Please send your answer back with this owl.

Thank you,

Molly Weasley

Severus read the letter over and set it down, rolling his eyes. If he knew Molly Weasley (and he was quite sure he had a thorough understanding of her person) she was not one to write such a letter. Her purpose was quite transparent; no, he did not doubt that the three Gryffindors had asked her to bring them for a visit, but he could easily assume that the reason she had agreed was so that she might check up on Harry. It was becoming increasingly annoying, this constant mistrust everyone placed in him. Harry was happy with him… at least, he hoped he was.

Reluctant to divide his son from his friends and earn the boy's resentment over his mild vexation with Molly Weasley, he crossly wrote back at the bottom of the letter, unwilling to waste good parchment on a short and simple note:

That will be fine. Do not come before 2 PM. (Severus contemplated writing that this was because Harry would need time to recuperate from the beatings, but upon reflection realised that she would think him serious.) I will tell Harry you are coming.

S.S.

Severus hoped his short, snappish tone was conveyed well enough through the lack of greeting and brief note filled with abrupt sentence structures. No, he doubted she would get it. She wasn't the brightest candle in the hall.

Refolding the parchment, slipping it into a new envelope, and stamping it with the Snape seal, he summoned Tibby and grudgingly sent it off with her, instructing her to use the same owl with which the letter had arrived. Shaking his head, he rose and went to the kitchen, looking forward to a peaceful breakfast with Harry.

xxx

Harry was a bit caught off guard when Tibby entered his room and informed him that breakfast was to be served in ten minutes. Not only was this incredibly abrupt, but also, he was rather uneasy at the thought of sharing breakfast with Severus at this time. He hadn't yet worked out how to explain everything to Severus, and he had already promised himself that he would give the man his due apology.

Thinking quickly, Harry feigned a yawn and climbed slowly out of his bed. "Thanks, Tibby. Go ahead and tell Severus that he can eat without me; I don't want to keep him waiting, and I really need a shower and all."

He wondered at the frightened widening of her eyes as he said this.

"You is not wanting to join Master for breakfast?" She questioned, glancing nervously from side to side.

"Er- no?" Harry answered unsurely, fisting his hands in the pockets of his robe and shrugging. He couldn't see what the big deal was; Severus ate by himself all the time. "Could I have some towels, though? I noticed last night that there weren't any in there."

"Yes, sir," Tibby said, bowing her head. "Tibby will get master towels and deliver his message to Master Snape."

"Yeah… thanks," Harry said awkwardly, standing in place and waiting for the elf to disappear. She quickly made her exit, and several seconds later, a stack of dark blue towels blinked into existence outside his bathroom door. "Nice service," Harry commented to himself, smiling and pulling the top towel off the stack. He headed into the bathroom, warmed by the prospect of a relaxing shower and another hour to decide exactly what needed to be said to Severus.

xxx

If Harry could have seen the dark look that manifested itself on Severus' face when Tibby delivered his message, he most likely would have had the sense to forego the shower and bolt downstairs with a ready apology. However, as the walls were not transparent and he didn't have Moody's magical eye, he had no way of knowing what a mistake he was making.

From Severus' point of view, Harry was avoiding him… it was the only logical answer. Perhaps he was overreacting to this, but he hardly cared. Severus was more agitated by the boy's refusal to come down to breakfast than he was by the lack of apology… though that certainly played a role in provoking his fury. Rather than owning up to his actions, Harry was opting to evade Severus until his temper cooled and he was out of the danger zone… if only the stupid boy had realized that Severus' temper had already been in check. He'd told Harry that he would attempt to control himself; had the boy thought he'd been lying?

Infuriated by Harry's seemingly immature actions, Severus cancelled breakfast and ordered the elf from the room. Leaning forward and clasping his hands in front of him, he pondered his next course of action. He briefly considered storming up the boy's room and demanding that he come down to breakfast… if he really was in the shower, however, he supposed that would be quite awkward… and it was a rather bold thing for Severus to do. He was a man of subtlety. Also, indignant as he was, he didn't want the boy to feel his point had been proven- Severus Snape had firm control over his temper, and he would not have anyone thinking otherwise.

Severus raised his eyebrows, considering for a moment the many times he had lost his temper in the past. He shook his head and thought defensively, those times were different.

No, he still wanted the boy to come to him and apologize on his own. He wanted him to understand that while he could be tolerant, the boy was still expected to take responsibility for any behaviour that went amiss. He shook his head. Not for the first time, he thought that perhaps he had been too lenient with the boy. He supposed that in his endeavour to keep that familiar harshness and overbearing nature out of his dealings with Harry, he had gone the opposite way, and run into just as ruinous a problem.

He would not become the tyrant he had grown up with; he had vowed as much to himself a very long time ago. Still, Harry was going to learn how to interact properly and cleverly with Severus whether or not it killed him. It was obvious that the boy didn't understand that he had been gifted the previous night; in fact, had he not realized at the time how awful he was being, Severus would have come down on him then and there… instead Harry had been given a chance, and he had blown it.

Making up his mind, he rose and stormed towards his study. If the boy could not find it within him to give his due apology, or at least show his face at breakfast, he could start atoning for his last misdeed now- perhaps it would remind him of how Severus dealt punishment, and give him that extra push he needed.

Severus banged around a bit, looking for some extra quills and the prompts he had written for Harry several weeks earlier. Finding them after a quick search, he sat down and penned a short missive to attach to the front. Though his ruminations had significantly cooled his fit of pique, he wanted Harry to know that he did not plan to ignore this slight… and give him a subtle warning to show some contrition before Severus forced penance from him.

His message did not take long to put down on paper; he had no need for long, drawn out explanations or words to soften the blow. He would leave no room for miscalculation; there would be no doubt in Harry's mind what Severus meant by this.

Re-reading the note and the prompts, Severus nodded to himself and set out to leave them on the kitchen table, before heading up to the third floor.

xxx

A good part of thirty minutes having been spent slumped against the shower tiles, hot water beating upon his lean frame, Harry was confident by the time he got out that the kitchen would be empty. He was not normally partial to such long showers, barring the nights he spent practising Quidditch in the bone-chilling rain. He wasn't especially fond of prunes, and had no particular desire to turn into one.

For some inexplicable reason, however, he could not bear the idea of showing his face on the lower levels. Having reflected upon the immaturity of his actions for amounting hours now, his mortification had risen to a petrifying level. He was… to state it simply, highly embarrassed, and now regretting having put off his confrontation with Severus for so long.

Part of him recognized the significant amount of forbearance that Severus had displayed. The man had made an admirable effort to contain his temper, he now realized. Surely, he could display the same amount of determination and set aside his pride, right?

Harry dressed in warm clothes and towel dried his hair, forsaking any futile attempts to tame it with his comb. With trepidation, he slowly made his way down to the kitchen, walking slowly and attempting to step quietly so that Severus would not be alerted to his presence. He would go to the man when he was ready; he didn't relish the thought of being swooped down upon, as normally happened back at school.

Reaching the kitchen, he peered around the doorway and looked around. All clear. He stepped in, and was surprised to see a stack of papers, not food, on the table. He had somewhat expected Severus to set aside a meal for him… apparently he had forgotten, or something.

Harry approached the papers cautiously; he didn't know what they were, but Severus usually took his own work with him wherever he went, or left it in his study. Harry could not imagine him sitting in the kitchen, grading his papers there for the light atmosphere.

They were for him, he could see when he got close enough to read the top of the page. His name was printed in dark, spiky letters, followed by a violent slash that he supposed was meant to be a comma. The same ink appeared to have written the message below his name:

Harry,

Perhaps you were unaware, but refusing to show your face at the breakfast table is a sign of utmost disrespect, and I will not have it in this house. Avoiding me and refusing meals only serves as punishment for yourself; it is of very little consequence to me.

When you are finished behaving like a moronic first year, and have come sufficiently to your senses to realize that avoidance is not the answer to all your problems, you may come find me. Until these things have happened, however, and you have seen the error of your ways, keep out of my path. I won't be happy should you choose to show up at my door and gape like a fish, so I suggest that you have a decent idea of what you are going to say when you approach me. Don't presume to waste my time; it is far too valuable, and listening to you stutter at me does not seem a worthwhile activity.

Below this missive are your essay prompts. You will spend the remainder of your sulking time working on them; do not let me catch you doing anything else. I will check your progress before dinner tonight if I have not spoken to you by that time. You may make use of the library, but remember our agreement that you would not view the books above your reaching height. I am in no mood to be disobeyed, so I suggest you refrain from testing those particular limits.

I will be on the third floor if you need me or have something to say to me. Otherwise, do not bother me.

Shocked, it took Harry several minutes to absorb this letter. He reread it a second time, wondering if perhaps some of the harshness of its tone might have been imagined.

It wasn't.

Harry sank down into the chair and buried his head in his hands, forcing back that choking feeling in his throat. He'd really done it now. If Severus hadn't been seriously ireful before, he was now.

He hadn't meant to avoid Severus… for the reasons Severus had guessed, at any cost. He had only wanted to give him a perfect apology… one that wouldn't leave him sitting there gaping like a fish, as Severus had so eloquently phrased it in his missive. Would the man accept that explanation? Was there any other explanation to give him? Yes, he had been relatively scared, but that hadn't been his main reason for missing breakfast, nor had he meant it as a sign of disrespect. No one had ever cared before whether or not he came to breakfast; he hadn't thought Severus would mind eating in silence… in fact, he thought he would be viewed as somewhat of a pest if Severus was forced to eat every meal with him.

He guiltily reflected now that these thoughts had been rather stupid. First of all, Severus had given him very little reason for fear the previous night. Second, Severus had told him on several occasions (however vaguely) that he enjoyed his company. Why had Harry second-guessed that?

Harry ran a finger over the ink; it smudged, just slightly. He guessed it had been written not ten minutes ago. Glancing woefully over his father's writing, he decided that Severus would need some time to cool off before Harry even attempted to explain. Best not to put it off too long, of course, lest Severus believe he was being avoided again… but now, ten minutes after the message was left, was not the best time to try to redeem himself.

Harry sullenly began on his essays. Admittedly, he didn't much feel like working on them at the moment… not that he wasn't feeling remorseful, he just… he would have preferred to take a walk, or do something else to get his current thoughts in order. Concentrating on his grievances from nearly a month ago didn't do much to clear his mind. Still, he would do them… and he would do them well.

Harry spent several hours, sitting at the kitchen table, working on his essays. He'd made a few trips to the library for different books and references, but had made them as quick as possible, just in case Severus came downstairs. He didn't want the man to get the idea that he was doing anything other than writing his essays.

So, write he did. The first essay took him a surprising two hours, but looking over it, he decided that Severus would appreciate the quality with which it was composed. At least, he hoped he would… he didn't want the man to think he was only putting in half the effort he was capable of. He immediately moved on to the second essay, thinking that perhaps once he was finished with this one, he would be able to speak with Severus.

Harry was halfway to finish when he heard the unmistakable voice of his father coming from the room across the hall. He leaned back in his chair, trying to see where he was. He could see just the ends of Severus' black robes a few feet away from the fireplace. He suspected that someone was on the other end, speaking with him.

After a moment's consideration, Harry got up and crept to the door, leaning against the frame and hanging his head out into the hallway for a better listening advantage. He winced as he heard the bleakness and austerity of his father's voice; it wasn't difficult to tell that he was gritting his teeth and biting back the unkind words forming at the tip of his tongue.

"Well, I wouldn't know, as the boy has been avoiding me all day," he was saying in a low growl, clearly attempting to keep Harry from overhearing.

Harry frowned. He wasn't trying to avoid Severus, so to speak. He was just trying to let the man's temper subside before they spoke again.

Severus spoke again. "I don't know, Albus."

There was a pause.

"No- no, I ask you not to interfere-"

A second pause.

"Everything is perfectly under control. An adolescent's childish reactions to being reprimanded and refusal to give an apology are nothing out of the ordinary. Do you disagree?"

Another pause.

"No, you may not come through- Albus! No- this conversation has come to an end; you may not come to call at this time. Harry and I can and will make it through this holiday without being babysat, I can assure you that. No. Goodbye, Albus."

Harry took this as his cue to jump back from the door and take his place at the kitchen table again. He half expected Severus to come and check on him as he left the parlour, but to both his relief and disappointment, the man's footsteps bypassed the kitchen. Harry sat for several moments, wondering if he would change his mind and return… but after ten minutes, Harry gave up hope. Severus was still going to make him come to him.

He couldn't let Severus walk around fuming over this all day; apparently, his anger was not going to lessen… it was just going to simmer until he reached his boiling point. Sighing, Harry placed his hands on the table and pushed himself to his feet, bracing himself for this confrontation. He was ready to do this… he needed to do this… he was just worried about how Severus would behave.

For some reason, the walk from the kitchen to the stairs now seemed much further than it had previously, and the stairs much taller. Harry tried to calm his mind and focus on what he was going to say when he arrived at the third floor. He knew he would have to say it quickly, before Severus had a chance to reprieve him for 'wasting his time'.

Harry climbed the last few stairs at a slower pace and hesitated before opening the door, turning his words over in his mind. He shook his head at this hesitation; he was a Gryffindor, wasn't he? He ought to be able to face Severus with the courage his house was known for.

Harry reached down and twisted the door handle, opening the door slowly.

"Severus?"

His father's back was facing him. The man slowly turned around, arching an eyebrow. Harry took this as an indication that he was to step into the room and begin speaking.

"I- er- I came to apologize…" he started off, trying hard to maintain eye contact with the older man. Severus nodded for him to continue. "I want you to know that I wasn't trying to… to avoid you… I was planning on apologizing. I just… I wanted more time to plan what I was going to say, so that I wouldn't end up… 'gaping like a fish'."

"Ah," Severus said, raising his eyebrows. Truthfully, hearing this, he felt somewhat guilty over the harsh tone with which he had written the letter. He had written with the thought in the back of his mind that Harry would be sulking all day long, and that had made him rather irritable and not at all generous with his kindness. Admittedly, he was surprised to see the boy standing before him so early in the day, and was considerably softened by the fact. Still, he'd be damned before he let the boy know that.

Harry was hoping his father might help him out a bit more… lead him into the topics that he wanted to discuss. However, he was offering him no aids or baiting. Harry found he rather preferred the other way.

"I thought a lot about how I um… how I acted last night," Harry said, stomach doing flips now. Severus wasn't giving him much to work off of, and Harry couldn't tell if his apology was going to be accepted. For all he knew, he was doing this for nothing.

Severus nodded. This was good to hear; it was all he had really wanted in the first place, just for Harry to think about his actions, instead of brushing them off. For the first time, he gifted the boy with a true response. "And what conclusions did you come to?"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief; the man had taken mercy. Harry had never been one for monologues… he had no desire to begin speaking with them now.

"Well… I couldn't figure it out at first. I don't think I was really angry with you over anything. I guess I eventually came around to thinking about when it started… and I realized… I think being given so much made me feel umm…like I needed to keep my guard up." Oh, this was absolutely painful; he didn't like to put his emotions out there for anyone, especially not someone who could so easily rip him apart. Still, if it was the only way to make things right… "No one has ever really given me so much… it's scary to think that… I don't know."

"That it could all be taken away very quickly?"

Harry nodded, looking down.

"I might agree with that assessment," Severus said in subdued tones. Harry had attempted to push him away before Severus could do the same to him… it had been a subconscious, half-hearted effort, but an effort nevertheless. "I'm somewhat surprised you thought it through so well."

"Well, I thought I owed it to you…" Harry said, shrugging. "And I wanted to know as well. I really am sorry, you know."

"How are the essays coming?"

Harry was taken a bit off guard by this change of topic, but supposed it was his best choice to answer regardless. "I've got one of them finished, and I'm almost done with the other."

Severus didn't change his facial expression. He couldn't help but be suspicious; Harry had actually sat down and written his essays? He hadn't expected this… he had expected that less than he had expected a prompt apology. He murmured thoughtfully and turned around, distracting himself with the sealing spells he was placing upon the wood countertops for his workroom.

Harry sensed, somehow, that this was the end of their conversation for the moment. He turned to leave, stopping with his hand rested on the door handle.

"Are we… alright?" he asked after a moment of indecision.

Severus stopped his wand work and rested his hands on the counters. "I accept your apology, Harry… and I am grateful for it."

"Right… good," Harry said, forcing some sort of cheeriness into his voice. "Well, I'll just leave you to this, then."

Severus nodded and waited until he heard the door close. It wasn't that he was still angry with the boy… he was upset with himself for assuming the worst. Harry had done what he'd been asked. He'd come of his own free will and offered an apology- not eloquent in its stating, but essentially perfect in content. It was more than he would have expected of any teenage boy… and yet, if experience had taught him anything, Harry was an extraordinary child. Why had he ignored everything he'd learned about the boy to date? Had the severity of his reaction pushed Harry back to the place they'd been at several months ago?

Severus pondered this for a while as he worked, until another thought occurred to him. The boy thought he was still angry. He'd allowed him to walk away, and his acceptance of the boy's penitence had been perfunctory at best. He almost wanted to laugh at the irony of it all- misunderstandings were bound to be the end of his and Harry's friendly relationship.

Shaking his head, he slid his wand into his robe pocket and quickly descended the stairs. He would have to make it clear, somehow, that he was not still angry with Harry. He guessed the boy would have retreated to his room, and so he moved to that corner of the house.

He knocked on Harry's door and waited. "Harry?" he called, pushing the door open. The room was empty. He cursed to himself and retreated, aiming to check the kitchen next. As he passed the great glass doors leading to the balcony however, he saw a small form out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked outside; Harry was sitting upon the ledge and leaning against the house, staring out across the grounds.

Severus stepped outside and stared at the boy for a moment, measuring his stance. The pure recklessness of the child was infuriating. "Get down from there, now," Severus said slowly, carefully enunciating every word.

Harry looked his way and struggled not to laugh at the shocked expression on Severus' face. He hopped onto the stone surface of the balcony and watched Severus wince at this quick movement.

"What are you thinking, sitting perched like that on the balcony?" Severus asked, moving towards him. "You've survived the Dark Lord more times than I can count on one hand, and you now wish to plummet to your death?"

"Well, I figured, it's the way birds learn how to fly, so… maybe it would work for me. Good skill to have during the war, if I could master it." Harry said seriously, looking back at the rail with a perplexed expression on his face.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Only if you didn't kill yourself in the process."

"Well, if I can't fly, there's really no use living," Harry replied, shrugging and looking out over the garden. "I need some sort of advantage over Voldemort… this seems like a good one."

There was silence for a moment, and then, "You had better not be serious."

Harry finally laughed and turned back to Severus. "I'm not," he said, shaking his head. Severus seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at this. It was moderately amusing to think that he might consider Harry serious on something such as that.

It didn't take long for the uneasy feeling to settle over the two of them again. Soon they were both avoiding eye contact, their previous moment of light-heartedness forgotten.

Harry cleared his throat and spoke first. "So umm… I thought you were working on your workroom."

Severus nodded. "I thought… perhaps you might like to help," he said, raising his gaze to meet Harry's.

"Really? I won't be bothering you?"

Severus shook his head. "I did not mean for it to seem as though I was still upset with you… I'm not."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but grateful for this peace offering, nonetheless. "Well umm… yeah, then, sure."

The walk up to the third floor was silent. Severus stared unwaveringly ahead, and Harry glanced sideways at Severus every few moments, trying to catch a hint of expression. As much as he would have loved to believe that Severus wasn't angry with him, it was difficult to do so when the man acted so to the contrary.

Once upstairs, Harry was pointed to the wall of counters opposite to the one Severus had been working on, and told to magically scrub the wood countertops so Severus could come behind him and perform the same sealing spell on them as he had the others. Harry gave no argument or questions, and started to work right away.

He was unsure how long they would spend working up there, but he was glad for something to occupy him. He might have been upset about being given the work, and compared it to the way the Dursleys had treated him previously… but this was very different from the chores they had given him. It felt good, to have Severus working right along side him. Even if the man really was angry with him, it meant something that he had thought to let Harry know that they were still on good terms.

They did not work for more than two hours. At one o' clock, Severus slipped his wand back into his sleeve and tossed a tarnished rag onto one of the counters, stepping back to inspect their work.

"Well," he muttered thoughtfully, scrutinizing the gleaming wood surfaces, "it's coming along slowly… but it's coming along, nonetheless."

Harry smiled a little to himself. If Severus thought this was slow going, he would hate to see what he thought of the muggle method.

Severus glanced over at Harry, and noted the half hearted smile on his face and, upon reflection, realized that the boy had not attempted to initiate one conversation during the course of their work. This had not bothered Severus, as he was normally a quiet worker, but it was uncharacteristic for the Boy-Who-Would-Not-Shut-Up.

"I really am not angry with you, you do realize," Severus said tentatively, frowning slightly.

Harry shrugged noncommittally.

"Harry," Severus intoned, prodding him to expand on the gesture.

"Well… I guess you just… seem angry, that's all."

"I always seem angry," said Severus, narrowing his eyes into an expression resembling perplexity.

Harry gave a half laugh, and shook his head. "No, you don't," he negated, shaking his head. "You always seem stern and foreboding, but not always angry… and I've become used to that, by now."

"Ah," Severus responded, raising his eyebrows and giving a nod. "I'm not angry with you, Harry," he assured the boy, attempting to make his expression more relaxed. "If I was, I would say as much."

While Harry supposed this was true, he could not help but still be a bit doubtful. In favour of preventing any sort of argument, however, he silently accepted this with a nod.

"Now," Severus continued, resuming his brisk manner, "You'll be pleased to know that several of the Weasleys and Miss Granger are stopping in for a visit this afternoon-"

"Are you serious?" Harry exclaimed excitedly, only realizing he had cut Severus off by the annoyed expression on the older man's face. "I'm sorry, continue."

"I requested that they arrive no earlier than two, but there was no correspondence past that point, so I am not sure what time they will be arriving. I suggest you go to clean up and get redressed. I will endeavour to gift you with my absence while they are here, but if they are staying for dinner, please inform me so that I may give Tibby instructions. They will most likely have taken lunch before they arrive, as well, so I suggest you eat something as well."

"Okay," Harry said, absorbing all of this and making a mental checklist in his mind. "Won't you be eating?"

"Dinner, yes," he said, nodding. "I'm going to work on this a bit longer, however."

Harry nodded, wondering to himself if Severus had eaten anything today. "Are there any rooms you would like me to keep them out of?"

Severus grimaced, just realizing that several Weasleys and the curious Granger creature would be roaming his home. "It should go without saying that they may not enter any of the rooms that I instructed you to stay out of… my quarters, of course… if you go into the study, take care to stay away from my work area." Severus paused, thinking, and then said, "I am placing tremendous amounts of trust in you, Harry, in letting you have your friends here… included in that is the trust that you will make wise choices. Are we clear?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, of course," he said sincerely. "And I'm really grateful for this, you know."

Severus nodded curtly and glanced around the room. "I'm sure you can find your way down to your room without me," he said in way of a question. Harry rolled his eyes and nodded. "Very well; Molly Weasley will most likely wish to have a word with me when they arrive, so kindly fetch me when they do."

"Alright," Harry agreed easily, moving towards the door. "Oh- what do you want with the essay I completed?"

"Place it on my desk and have the rest of them done by the time we return to Hogwarts," Severus said, thinking to himself that he ought to have stricter time restraints, and yet failing to revise his statement.

"Fair enough," Harry said, opening the door. "Have fun up here."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," Severus muttered, pulling out his wand and going back to work.

xxx

Harry didn't waste time taking another shower. He washed his face and hands, shook the dust out of his hair, and changed clothes. He grinned into the mirror and thought to himself that this was as efficient a way to get clean as showering was.

Frowning, he then wondered if that was the idea Severus had started out with.

Harry rolled his eyes at this thought and dipped his head into the sink, summoning a bottle of shampoo and washing out the dirt his hair had accumulated in the workroom. Satisfied several minutes later that he was not following in his father's hygienic footsteps, he towelled off his hair and got rid of the water he had splashed onto the floor.

Harry was both excited and worried about his friends' upcoming visits. Hermione- and Ginny, if she came- would be fine. He knew they might be a bit uneasy being in the Potions Master's house at first, but they wouldn't be stupid about it. Ron, however… well, Ron had been fairly understanding, so far. Yes, he had made several gibes about Severus over the course of the last few weeks… but that was to be expected, Harry felt, and it was quite forgivable. However, he wondered if Ron's fear would be amplified in the man's home… and he knew that was part of why Ron acted the way he did. It wasn't simple dislike; Ron hated being intimidated, and this was his reaction to it.

Harry had been able to replace his bad memories and feelings toward Severus with good ones. Hermione had been able to sympathize, because he had spoken with her about it more than anyone else. Ginny had been the same, because not only had Harry spoken to her about it, but also, Hermione had explained it to her several times.

Ron, on the other hand, was still the one person Harry most disliked speaking to about Severus. While he was a good friend, he was an awful advice giver, and rather inept at understanding a broad range of emotions or changes of heart. Harry didn't blame him for this, of course. He'd lead a relatively simple life up until he'd met Harry, in which jealousy and competition were his biggest problems. He didn't understand the need for family, because he had such a big one already. He didn't understand the significance of having a father that cared, because unlike Harry, he had always had one. Most importantly, he could not separate Professor Snape from Harry's father, because he hadn't seen that side of the man.

The worst of it all was Ron's fierce loyalty to his best friend. Harry couldn't deny that this had to be the driving factor for Ron's hate of his father. He couldn't forget the way Harry had been treated. It is, after all, easier to forgive someone of their sins when one is the victim of said wrongdoings. When angry on the behalf of another, it is much more difficult to let go of that righteous infuriation.

Flicking his wand at the lights and stepping out of the room, Harry sighed to himself and headed towards the kitchen. As much as he could understand Ron's attitude, he knew he wouldn't much enjoy it if it got any worse. He didn't know what his reaction would be if anything else was said about his father. Upon reflection, he should have been able to easily shake off all those negative remarks… after all, once upon a time, he had been the main advocate for all things Snape-hate related.

For obvious reasons, his opinions had changed… but Ron's hadn't, and for some reason, he knew he would most likely snap if his friend kept it up. He wanted this to be a pleasant visit. He just didn't know if that would be possible.

Shuffling through his papers to find his completed essay, Harry started off towards the study. As asked, he placed his essay atop Severus' desk, and filed his other papers into his own. He felt somewhat satisfied as he stepped back and inspected his own neat work area. He'd only been there for one day, but thanks to Severus' endeavours, he was already starting to feel settled in.

Harry stepped around the desk and sat down, sliding his chair in and relaxing. He looked around at the warm room contentedly, and smiled to himself. Even if Ron didn't believe it… even if Severus didn't always act like it… his father cared about him. That much was clear.

xxx

It was actually a bit later in the evening when the Weasleys and Hermione finally arrived. Harry had fallen asleep in the study, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk. He was awoken by the house elf, which was tugging at his sleeve and calling his name.

"Guests is being here, sir," Tibby informed him, once he groggily opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep in the study… nor that he had been tired in the first place.

"Thank you, Tibby," Harry grunted as he swung his legs off the desk and onto the floor, and heaved himself upward. He straightened his glasses, pushed his chair back in, and headed for the front door.

Standing there, looking around curiously, were Mr. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. Harry smiled and came to a quiet stop, waiting for them to notice he was standing there.

"Harry," Hermione gasped about half a second later, smiling. "I didn't see you there!"

"Yeah, I only just got here. I fell asleep in the study." Harry would not have admitted it aloud to anyone, but he very much liked the sound of that. It made him feel important.

"You have a study?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Yeah," Harry replied stiffly, unsure of what was to follow.

To his relief, however, Ron only said, "Oye… I suppose that means you'll be expected to do your homework then, eh, if you have a special room for it?"

Harry laughed at this, glad when Ron smiled. "Yeah, downright cruel, isn't it?"

"If you think that's cruel, I can't wait to see what you think of the work you'll be given after Christmas," came his father's deep voice from behind, and he felt a warm hand lightly grip his shoulder. He looked behind him, and was surprised to see an amused expression on the man's face. "I'm sure you'll find it downright torturous."

"I'm sure," Harry agreed, hoping he was joking. "I was going to come get you, you know."

"The elf beat you to it," Severus told him, moving in front of him to greet Mr. Weasley.

"Arthur," he said, much more warmly than Harry might have expected. It wasn't a friendly greeting, but his voice wasn't as cold as it normally was when he greeted a person. "I thought you would be working today."

"Called off duty," the red-haired man said quietly, exchanging a significant glance with the Potions Master.

"I see," Severus said, sounding somewhat concerned now. "And your wife…?"

"At home with the other children, of course. She had rather hoped to bring these three by earlier, but complications arose… you understand."

"Of course," Severus said. "Well, if you need them to stay here…"

The four children exchanged somewhat alarmed glances behind Severus' back.

"Thank you, Severus, I will let you know," Mr. Weasley said, looking truly grateful. "I must be on my way, though."

Severus nodded and opened the door for Mr. Weasley, who promptly exited. He then turned to Harry and pointed down the hall. "I need to speak with you, in the study, now," he said, and strode quickly past Harry.

The others looked at Harry oddly, but he just shrugged and followed.

"What is it?" he asked as soon as the door to the study was closed.

"That is irrelevant," Severus said, shaking his head. "I won't keep you, for I don't want those three little mongrels out there unaccompanied for too long. I do not know how long they will be required to stay here, but I very much doubt that it will be for more than a night. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, after all, and I'm sure Mrs. Weasley will want them home… however, I wish you to stay inside of the house. Do not stray outdoors, and do not floo anyone or attempt to make any other contact with others. Is that understood?"

"I… not really," Harry admitted. "Why can't I know what's going on?"

"Because you are too young-"

"I'm not too young. Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Harry, I'm not going to negotiate this with you-"

"It would mean a lot to me if you would just listen to my reasoning," Harry interrupted again, hoping that perhaps Severus would agree.

Severus stared at him for a long moment, and then sighed. "Fine. You have two minutes."

"Two minutes?"

"In counting."

Harry growled in frustration. Two minutes was a rather small time span for one to make a point. "If, supposedly, I am the one that is supposed to take Voldemort down… don't you think I deserve most of all to know what he's doing?"

"It doesn't all involve Voldemort's activities-"

"Oh no, no loopholes here!" Harry exclaimed. "Death Eaters, Voldemort, fighting, it's all the same these days. I need to know it all…. How can I be prepared for this if I have no idea what they are capable of?"

"Your two minutes are up," Severus said.

"No they are not!"

"Yes, they quite are."

"You said you would listen to me!"

"I did. For two minutes. I've paid my dues."

"Will you at least consider it?"

"Consider what?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on; give me a break here!"

Severus paused for a moment, evaluating the level of determination Harry seemed to have on this topic. "Are you going to drop this?"

"No."

"…Harry-"

"Will you at least consider it?"

"You already asked me that."

"And you never answered!"

Severus took a long pause, considering the boy. He was incredibly divided over the issue. He agreed partially with Harry that he needed to know what was going on… but there were certain topics best kept from his knowledge. If he did realize the true terror Voldemort could inflict at this point, he would be too intimidated to put his all into training. He would feel defeated before he even began preparation. Severus could not allow this to happen. On the other hand, if he kept everything from the boy, he was sure to become defiant and go searching out information on his own, drawing the wrong conclusions and getting himself in trouble rather than putting a concentrated effort into priming for the culmination of his and Voldemort's lifelong conflict.

"If I say I will tell you what you need to know, will that pacify you?" Severus proposed, narrowing his eyes.

Harry's expression was similar, but suspicious. "Clarify," he demanded, to receive a warning flash of Severus' eyes. He struggled to keep from rolling his eyes, and rephrased. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to sound more polite.

Severus arched an eyebrow, but answered him, "I cannot tell you everything, Harry, and you should know that. I can, however, tell you information that may be of use to you… I can attempt to keep you informed."

"How do I know that you won't keep important things from me, like everyone else?" Harry questioned, crossing his arms.

"Who do you know who is quite like me?" Severus replied, smirking. "I have no desire to protect you from the harsh reality that death happens. I have no desire to shelter you. I believe those sorts of protection only weaken one's defences. There are certain things, however, that you cannot know- for your safety, for your friends' safety, and for your state of mental health. Credit me with a keen sense of discernment and a purpose to serve your best interests."

Harry looked at Severus for a moment, and then flicked his eyes to the ground. He was glad that Severus was not a sentimental man, for if he had said that without his usual stoicism, Harry might have found himself getting overly emotional over what had just been said to him. He couldn't quite place his finger on why it meant so much to him… but he knew Severus was telling the truth. He was looking out for his best interests, and he was there to help him through everything he would encounter in the near future. It was a comforting and touching thought.

"Harry?"

"Umm, yeah," Harry said, coming out of his reverie and looking back up at Severus. "Yeah, that's exactly… yeah. Thank you."

Severus frowned for a moment, but nodded. "You're welcome," he said slowly, eyeing Harry with an indiscernible glint in his eyes. "Now, you will adhere to the rules I have laid out for you and your friends?"

"Yes," Harry said with a nod.

"See to it that you keep that to that promise," Severus said, raising an eyebrow and widening his narrowed eyes in warning. Harry nodded, and Severus turned and left the study.

Harry watched him walk back down the hallway, and then wondered how on earth the man managed such odd facial expressions. How could someone combine narrowed and widened eyes? He wondered vaguely if he could achieve it, and lowered his chin into the position Severus' head had been in. He narrowed his eyes and arched an eyebrow. Then, like his father did, he kept his lower lids narrowed and lifted the upper ones. For the extra effect, he added a smirk, and holding his face like that, walked to view himself in decorative mirror behind his desk. No… not quite right. He straightened his lips and glared just a bit more… there. That was it.

"Harry? What are you doing?"

Harry quickly spun around, knocking the mirror off the wall in the process and sending it shattering to the ground. He cursed loudly and jumped away from the smashed glass, only to stumble across the nearby chair and fall ungracefully to the wood floor. Laughter ensued.

Harry quickly lifted himself off the ground and regained his footing, running a hand coolly through his hair. "Oh, hey," he said in the most even, normal voice he could manage, sending his friends into even greater peals of laughter. "Stop laughing," he demanded, though he couldn't help but start to laugh himself.

"Oh Harry, we're sorry, it's just… you looked so silly!" Hermione declared, with Ginny nodding emphatically at her side and Ron leaning against the door frame for support as he continued to guffaw.

"So, what were you doing?" Ron choked out between bouts of laughter.

Harry blushed, and admitted sheepishly, "Trying to imitate Sever- my Dad's facial expression."

The use of the word 'dad' seemed to sober Ron enough to keep him from falling to the ground, but his smile did not fade entirely.

"A truly difficult feat," Ginny commented good-humouredly, stepping in and looking around. "This is really nice."

"Yes, the whole house is," Hermione concurred, following suit.

"Thanks," Harry said offhandedly, aiming his wand at the broken glass and muttering, "Reparo."

"How come there are two desks?" Ron asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, one of them is mine," Harry said, grinning.

"Yours?" Ron repeated, looking dumbfounded.

"Yeah, mine. Why?"

Hermione answered for him. "It's rather surprising that Professor Snape would share his study with you, that's all." She paused for a moment, looking around a bit, and then back at Harry. "I thought he would have wanted his privacy."

"Yeah, so did I," Harry agreed. He was somewhat put off by her thinking this, but he tried to brush it off. He had thought the same thing, after all. "But apparently, he doesn't mind."

"It's a rather nice collection of books," Ginny commented from across the room. Harry noted with relief that she got close, but didn't touch anything.

"I can't touch the ones above my grasp," Harry said. "So you shouldn't either, just so you know… but yeah, it is really cool. Sever- my Dad said I could use them, for whatever. I guess I'll get to see some of the darker ones this summer, just so I know what I'm up against."

"He's not going to teach you any Dark Magic, is he Harry?" Hermione asked, looking scandalized as she whirled around to stare accusingly at him.

"You know, just because he was a Death Eater-"

"Is a Death Eater," Ron interrupted.

"You know what, Ron? You can just-"

"Harry!" Ginny stepped forward and gripped his shoulder. "No one meant anything negative about it!"

"Oh? What did they mean then?"

"Maybe you would find out if you stopped jumping to conclusions and interrupting, and just let them speak," Ginny offered gently.

"I only meant that no one can just quit being a Death Eater," Ron said tentatively, his expression wary. "No one walks away from Voldemort's service… no one can until he's defeated."

"Oh…" Harry muttered, feeling slightly stupid for having reacted so strongly.

"And I just wanted to… to make sure… Harry, it's nothing personal against Professor Snape. You know I trust him… just… well, maybe I don't with this. I can't help but worry though, you know."

Harry regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said. "There is only one purpose to me learning any of the Dark Arts. Know thine enemy, right? Anyways, we'll be covering very strong white magic, mostly. Don't worry… he wouldn't steer me wrong."

There was silence for a moment. Ginny smiled at him and went back to inspecting the books, soon to be joined by Hermione. Ron stared at the ground thoughtfully for awhile, still leaning against the doorframe, and Harry hung the mirror back on the wall and sat down in the chair he'd fallen over.

"Harry, I haven't been awful, have I?" Ron asked for a moment, still staring thoughtfully at the ground.

"What do you mean, Ron?" Harry asked guardedly, unsure how to answer.

"I mean… about this whole… thing. With the Professor."

"My Dad?"

"…Yeah… your Dad," Ron said slowly, seemingly testing out the word.

"I don't know," Harry said, rising from his chair, leaning back against the desk, and shrugging. "I… well, your attitude could be improved… but umm…"

"Hermione reckons it's only a matter of time before we end up in another feud over this. I just… I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again…" Ron's gaze never left the ground as he spoke.

"Hermione didn't mention anything to me," Harry said, thinking that he might have liked to be consulted before she'd gone to Ron on his behalf. He had sort of expected it… he just would have liked to have been notified.

"Well, she sort of went off on me the other day…"

"Why?"

"You won't be mad?"

"I… no, I'll be fine. What?"

"I said I was refusing to come here… because of Sn- Professor Snape. She just… lost it on me. I was really angry at first, but… I don't know, I'm sorry if I've been a jerk, okay?"

Harry tried not to laugh, he really did… but Ron's face was as bright as a radish, and at the moment, his tactics of evading any sort of emotion were simply hilarious.

"This isn't funny, okay? I'm laying it on the line here, Harry!" Another snort from Harry's direction. "Harry!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- okay? It's just… never mind. Just, I guess… try to cool it on him, okay?"

"Yeah," Ron said, nodding and making eye contact for the first time. "I'll try to cool it… just tell me when I'm making an arse out of myself."

"Ronald, don't swear or I'll tell mum," came Ginny's singsong voice from the other section of the room, causing Ron to blush again.

"I didn't know they could hear me!" he hissed. "I can't even see them from where I'm standing!"

"People can hear around corners, Ron," Harry said dryly, raising his eyebrows. Ron shook his head and kicked the door, causing Harry to laugh again.

xxx

Dinner was a rather awkward affair that night. At first, Severus' line of thinking had been that he would not be chased away from his own dinner table by a group of teenagers; students, no less. As the evening went on, however, and Hermione attempted to include him in the conversation for the fourth time, he found himself mentally noting never to eat dinner with these four again.

Harry had seemed to enjoy his day, which was perhaps some consolation for Severus' misery. Harry had enthusiastically shown his friends around the house… it had pleased Severus to know that Harry was proud of living here, now, of course, and that he liked the house so. However, he'd spent the entire day stalking in and out of rooms, avoiding the group. He simply had no desire to come into contact with the children.

He was becoming more and more worried that perhaps they would be staying the night after all. He had rather hoped Arthur would return soon… hopefully not Molly, as he rather disliked her. Still, he would face even her to get his house back to its normally peaceful state. It had been only one day, and already he missed his privacy. It was another story when it was only Harry in the house. That didn't feel quite like the invasion he was experiencing now.

Severus discreetly glanced around the table. Ron was quietly shoving food into his mouth, avoiding eye contact with him at all costs. Hermione kept shooting thoughtful glances his way; he knew she was trying to find another way to engage him in conversation. Ginny and Harry were the only two acting normally, which he was rather glad for.

"Miss Weasley," he ventured, lifting his knife and cutting into the meat on his plate. "Have you heard from your parents at all today, by chance?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "But if you want me to, I can just give them a shout through the floo-"

"That won't be necessary," Severus said, shaking his head.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem," Ginny offered tentatively several minutes later. "You really shouldn't have to put us up for the night. I'm sure my mother would feel the same way."

"Oh, undoubtedly she does," Severus replied, a bit more bitingly than he had intended to. Still, he smirked and continued, "She does not hold me in the highest esteem, I am well aware of that fact, Miss Weasley."

"That's not what I meant," the redhead said coldly, glaring at him. All three of her companions' heads turned in her direction.

Severus set down his fork and knife and placed his hands on the edge of the table. "I don't much care for your tone, Miss Weasley."

"Nor I for yours," she replied evenly, mimicking his stance.

Severus' eyes flashed, nostrils flared, and he rose menacingly. "Let me make something clear to you, or anyone else who doubts my authority. Whether at Hogwarts or outside of it, I am still your Professor and demand to be treated as such."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, and opened her mouth, but Ginny threw out a hand to stop her from speaking. "I meant no disrespect, Professor, and I'm sorry if you are taking it that way… but I won't tolerate insults to my family, and I felt that was where you were heading. I would like to continue visiting Harry here, sir, but I'm not sure that will be possible if you keep jumping to conclusions whenever one of us talks. I wanted to clarify that I had not meant anything negative towards you. I simply meant that, having manners, neither I nor my mother would want us to impose."

Ron and Harry were staring at her with widened eyes, and Hermione was frowning with a look that clearly indicated she had wanted to say the same thing. Severus looked somewhat shocked that she would dare speak to him that way. For a moment, he didn't speak, and she watched his face intently. Just as he finally opened his mouth, looking ready to blow, she tugged the napkin out of her lap and politely inquired, "May I use your floo?"

Harry had to admit, it was mildly amusing to see anyone, especially this girl, put Severus out of his element. He was normally so calm and cool when handling students… unless that student had been Harry. She, however, had managed to shock him. He supposed it came from the fact that she was bold, yet somehow, respectful enough to make it difficult for him to find the reason for his anger.

"I… no, you may not!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "So you're going to refuse to let me talk to my mother?"

Severus scowled at her. "Do not act like I'm holding you prisoner."

"Seems like you are."

Severus opened his mouth to reply, and then snapped it shut again. He glared at her for a moment, and then turned and stormed from the room. The three exchanged looks, until they heard the floo flare from the other room. Several moments later, Severus returned.

"Well, Miss Weasley, it appears that you were correct. Your mother has taken no issue with your returning tonight."

Everything was quiet for a moment. Severus stood in the entryway to the kitchen, looking both angry and smug at the same time, and the four children didn't know quite how to react. Harry was inwardly seething at the rashness of his father. It had been completely unnecessary to drop everything and floo Mrs. Weasley; he was practically throwing his friends out, and only because Ginny had had the boldness to speak her mind and defend herself. He sat at the kitchen table, somewhat dazed, deciding what to do with his anger. Ginny was simply staring at Severus, with an unreadable expression on her face. Hermione and Ron were exchanging glances, though the purpose behind them was unclear.

"So does that mean we're-"

"Leaving? Yes, Mr. Weasley, you are leaving. We enjoyed having you, thank you for stopping by." His voice and expression were completely insincere. "The fireplace is right this way."

Harry shook his head to clear his thought, and rose. "Don't I get some say in this?"

Severus turned and looked at him, raised his eyebrows, and proclaimed a resounding, "No."

Harry clamped his mouth shut and followed the group to the parlour, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side as he walked.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Harry," Hermione said, hugging him and talking as though nothing was out of place. Harry rigidly accepted the hug.

"Yes, thank you for having us," Ginny replied, though she looked just about as grateful as Severus did pleasant.

Ron looked back and forth between Harry and Severus for a moment, and then reached out and shook Harry's hand. "Yeah mate… I'll see you on Boxing Day…" He glanced again at Severus, and added, "If you can still come."

"Oh, he'll be there, Mr. Weasley, have no fear," Severus replied, re-establishing the floo connection. "I'm not going to eat him for breakfast. He'll make it until the end of the holiday."

"That's not what I meant!"

"I'm sure it's not- and don't raise your voice to me."

"Ron, just go," Ginny said tiredly, motioning towards the floo. Hermione nodded and watched him go through, and followed shortly after.

Ginny waited for Hermione to disappear, and stepped forward. She turned to face Severus for a moment, seemingly debating whether or not to say anything to him. Deciding against it, she turned decisively to Harry and said unsmilingly, "I'll see you again soon, Harry. Take care."

"You too, Ginny," Harry said, equally as stiff. Both nodded to each other, and she disappeared through the floo.

Severus did not have to wait in suspense to see if Harry was angry. The boy immediately rounded on him, glaring fiercely, and cried, "What the hell was that?"

Severus' mouth and eyes widened in mock surprise and he exclaimed, "Language!"

"That was completely unnecessary," Harry proclaimed, ignoring him.

"Yes, I agree," Severus complied easily, walking past Harry and into the hallway.

"I didn't mean the language!" Harry called after him, following.

"Oh," Severus said, continuing on his way. "Well, then I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about how you made them leave like that," Harry clarified irritably, talking to Severus' back as the man refused to stop and converse with him. "You practically threw them out!"

"There was no throwing involved," Severus replied, heading up the stairs.

"They didn't need to leave."

"I was under the impression that they wanted to," Severus said over his shoulder, looking at Harry with raised eyebrows. "If I was mistaken, surely Miss Weasley would have said something. She certainly has no problem with speaking her mind, does she?"

"That's not a crime, you know."

"But it is rather annoying." They reached the top of the stairs, and Severus stalked down the hallway.

"You just don't like my friends," Harry said, glaring at the back of Severus' head. "Are you purposely trying to make sure that they never want to come around again? Do you hate me that much?"

Severus stopped walking abruptly, and said with much less flippancy than before, "You know very well that that is not the case, Harry."

Harry continued walking until he was standing about three metres from Severus, and then answered him. "What is it, then? Why are you so determined to hate them?"

"I'm not," Severus said, turning around and frowning deeply.

"Is it because of their House?"

"Harry-"

"Is it because they are in Gryffindor?"

"No, Harry-"

"Is it simply jealousy? Is it because you never had any friends?"

"Harry!"

"Or maybe it's just Ginny! What, do you hate her because she's so like Lily? Because she's almost a carbon copy of your dead ex-wife? Is she an awful reminder, just like I was, of how you scared her away! How she was too terrified to-"

Before Harry could finish the sentence, he found himself slammed and pinned up against the wall with so much force that it knocked the wind out of his lungs.

"How dare you speak to me like this? Of your mother like this?" Severus' voice was a twist of a snarl and an aggrieved choke. For once, his cool mask of indifference was absent from his face, and his eyes projected every awful mixture of anger, pain, and disappointment tearing through him. His hands were tightened bruisingly on Harry's collarbones, crushing him against the wall and mere inches away from his neck. There was no mistake about it; Harry had gone too far. "I have been more than lenient with you! I have been more than generous! When will it be good enough?"

Harry's eyes were blazing, though the infuriation they held did little to mask his apparent fright. Severus' anger was not hindered by this, however. "I'm sor-"

"There is no apology for this," Severus growled, forcibly removing his own hands from Harry and taking a step back. Harry's hands flew to the aching place where Severus' hands had held him, and he raised his accusing eyes to meet Severus. The man was visibly shaking. "Go to your room… I don't want to see you again. Not today."

"Dad-"

"Don't!" Severus snapped, stepping back again. "Just… go!"

Harry swallowed and looked down, now shaking just as Severus was. At Severus' second bark of "Go!" he turned and ran towards his room, intent on avoiding his father for the remainder of his time in the house. This felt… unforgivable… on both of their parts.

He rounded the corner and stopped, leaning back up against the wall for support. He heard Severus' door slam seconds later, and allowed himself to slide down to the floor. He sat there, breathing hard, and could only focus on one thing.

He truly regretted his last remarks… and he was sure there was no way to repair the damage he had done.

xxx End Chapter 36 xxx