Harry slumped into his seat at the table and sighed.

Snape dropped a plate of breakfast food in front of him and sat down across from him with his own plate of food.

Harry tried again, letting his breath out heavily for the space of three seconds. Snape looked at him sourly.

"Whatever you're trying to accomplish, I'm not interested. Eat your food."

"What are we doing today?" Harry asked as he picked up his fork.

"Same thing we do everyday."

"I'm tired of studying," Harry protested. "That's all I've done forever. Let's do something else - something exciting."

Snape stared at him. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, but I was just thinking that if we were playing family, maybe we could pretend to go somewhere. Like the beach or a drive or a train trip. But then we would really go. Don't families go places on holiday?"

"Not this family," Snape growled at him.

"Are we too poor?" Harry asked frankly, nodding along as if he understood. "We're a poor family who can't afford to leave our house, and we have to count out coins to buy food and I have to wear second-hand clothes and you don't know how you're going to find money for my schoolbooks and sometimes we have to sell furniture just to buy food -"

"That's enough!" Snape interrupted, setting his fork down loudly. "We are not poor. We're not going on holiday because I refuse to let you have a moment of fun for the whole summer. I want you miserable."

Harry wanted to pout, but then he realized that would make Snape happy so Harry smiled instead. "How could I miserable while I'm here with you, Father?"

Snape glared at him, but Harry just kept smiling as he ate. Snape frustrated him to no end - every time Harry thought he was getting a little nicer, not a complete bastard though still a git, the man turned the tables and found new ways to torment Harry.

"Well, I'm not studying anymore," Harry declared. "It's summer, and I've done all my homework. I'm ahead on everything. Any more studying, and I won't need to go to Hogwarts this year at all."

Snape smirked, but said nothing.

"Can I play outside today?" Harry asked next, finished with his breakfast.

"No, you'll run away."

"I won't - let me take Vampyr with me. He won't let me run away."

Vampyr, hearing his name, lifted his head to give a short bark.

"See? He wants to come," Harry pointed out. "I can work in the garden for a while, watering stuff while he watches me."

Snape looked torn. "Maybe for a little while, but I don't want you climbing trees. I see you climbing them, and you won't like what happens next."

"I said I won't do it again," Harry protested though he wasn't sure he had said any such thing. "I don't try the same bad thing twice."

"Because I don't give you the chance," Snape smiled coldly. "I have to stay on top of you for everything, you wretched little -"

The knocker on the front door suddenly banged, the rapping sound echoing through the small house.

Harry blinked and looked up at Snape for a clue as to who was at the door, but the man had frozen in fear.

"Severus?" the person who had knocked called out loud enough for them to hear in the kitchen. "Severus, are you there?"

"Dumbledore?" Harry whispered in shock.

Then he leapt out of his chair, yelling out "Dumbledore, Dumbledore!"

Only he never said the words. Snape hit him with a silencing spell the moment Harry opened his mouth.

Harry clutched a hand to his throat, staring at Snape in horror. Then Harry made a split-second decision - he ran. He ran down the hall as fast as he could.

He could see the front door before him. Dumbledore was on the other side, and the kind old man would save him. Snape would be locked up, and Harry would be safe.

Harry reached a hand out to grab the locked door when Snape snatched him away.

"Just a minute, headmaster," Snape shouted. "I'll be right there."

In Snape's grasp, Harry fought like a wild animal. He twisted and jerked, trying to stomp on Snape's shoes or scratch his arms or bite him. But Snape wrapped both arms around Harry's thin torso, lifting him up into the air.

Harry tried to scream, but no sound came out, and he focused all his energy on breaking loose from Snape. Vampyr was beside them, barking and yapping between the closed door and Harry's struggles.

"Sorry, headmaster," Snape shouted. "It's the dog - he doesn't like strangers."

Snape turned Harry sharply and flung the boy over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Harry writhed back and forth, but Snape tightened his grip and delivered several sharp smacks to Harry's rear in effort to calm him down.

Harry was set to destroy Snape one way or another, and a few spanks were not about to stop him. He pounded at Snape's back and pulled at his clothing, spitting and baring his teeth as he fought the man. But Snape was stronger, and before Harry could break free, Snape was carrying him up the stairs, away from the door.

Still fighting, Harry watched the front door go farther and farther away, and he felt something inside him breaking.

"You should be grateful I'm not dropping you into the cellar," Snape growled as he stalked into Harry's bedroom. "You're going to stay up here, good and quiet, while I have a little chat with the headmaster."

Snape dropped Harry on the bed, and the moment he was free, Harry fought to get up off the bed. But Snape rolled him onto his stomach and bellowed, "Immobulous!"

Harry felt his body freeze, and he could not move.

Snape reached down to grip Harry's chin and the back of his neck. Harry panicked, thinking Snape meant to break his neck, but he could not move, could not scream for Dumbledore to help him.

However, Snape just slowly turned Harry's head to the side so he could breathe freely, and the man rested a hand on his back for a second.

"I'll give you a while to think about this temper tantrum. Vampyr, stay up here with this naughty one and feel free to bite him."

Harry felt the hand leave his back, and he heard Snape's footsteps fade away. The moment he was gone, Harry tried to move his body, even just a leg or arm that he could use to bang for help. But he couldn't budge an inch. Next he tried to speak, to make even a little sound of protest, but his voice refused to work.

He was trapped, and Dumbledore would never know he was here. Snape would never let him go free - Harry was trapped with an evil man who would never let him go, never let him see his friends again, never let him be happy or excited about anything as long as he lived.

The tears came then. Hot and painful, they leaked out of Harry's eyes and rolled down the side of his face underneath his glasses until they fell to the sheet below.

Harry did not even try to stop them. He just cried, unable to shake with sobs, but crying hard with no way of wiping away his tears.

Vampyr grew anxious and barked once or twice, but when it became clear that Snape was not coming, the dog growled for Harry to stop. When Harry kept crying, Vampyr put his paws up on the bed and laid its huge, ugly head on Harry's back. Harry felt the dog moving its head, trying to comfort Harry the only way he could. If Harry could have moved, the only thing he would have done was wrap his arms around the dog's neck and hug him close while he cried.

It was not too long until footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Snape said from the doorway, "Dumbledore's gone now."

Harry closed his eyes and more tears came, dampening further the cold wet spot under his face.

"Finite incantum," Snape said in a low voice.

Harry felt his body loosen, and his throat felt different. Vampyr lifted his head, and Harry rolled on his back, refusing to look at Snape.

The man stood in the doorway, half-angry, half-reluctant. "I'm sorry I had to do that, but you left me no choice."

"Go away," Harry stared up at the ceiling.

"It's complicated," Snape tried again, but Harry shook his head.

"No, it's not. You wanted me miserable - well now you have it. I hate you now. I hate you so much."

"Stop it, Potter," Snape ordered, but there was no bite in his voice, just weariness.

"Don't talk to me. I hate you."

"You don't talk to me like that," Snape declared. "You will show me respect or -"

"I hate you," Harry repeated in a flat voice. "You can beat me, starve me, make me sick, hurt me, whatever you like, but I will always hate you."

"No, you don't," Snape raised his voice a notch. "You're just hysterical. I should put you back in the bind and leave you here for the rest of the day."

"I would still hate you," Harry clenched his hands together and pressed down on his stomach, feeling very dizzy.

Snape turned to go and then whirled back in exasperation. "No, you don't hate me. I won't let you hate me. It's out of the question. You're my son -"

"I'm not playing anymore," Harry decided. "I am done playing with you. You're mean and cruel and ugly and angry and everything I don't like. My relatives weren't nice to me, but I never hated them the way I hate you. My relatives called me a freak, but you're a wizard, too, and you should know how it feels. You - I hope you die, and I hope you die screaming."

"That's enough," Snape ordered, but Harry sat up, greens eyes blazing.

"I hate you!" he screamed so loud that the windows shook and Vampyr whined. "Get away from me, you rotten foul bastard."

"I will not," Snape yelled back. "You're mine now - you belong to me."

"Never!" Harry shrieked

"Yes, you do," Snape bellowed. "I loved your mother - she should have married me. You should be my son - Harry Severus Snape."

"You're lying!" Harry was beginning to lose his vision from screaming. The room spun beneath him. "You're filthy liar!"

"That note you found downstairs? That was from your mother the day she married that arrogant ass of a Potter. That should have been me beside her, me who married her. I loved her before anyone else did - I realized she was a witch even before she did. I rode with her on the train the first day of school, me. You should be mine!"

Harry shook his head in denial, wishing he could run. "No, no, you're lying."

He kept trying to picture what was on that letter he had found in the library. But it had been beside that book, that book about lilies. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. His beautiful sweet mother with her kind smile beside his dad - Snape loving her.

Harry's dream came rushing back, Snape and his mother in the picture together, and it was too awful, the thought of the horrible man who had kidnapped him in love with his mother -

For a moment, Harry thought he would be sick, but instead of vomiting, his tears started again. And this time he let them come and even tried to push them on, wanting to concentrate on crying rather than what Snape had said.

"No," Harry choked on his sobs, "you're wrong. You're wrong. I can't - I can't - please, I can't. I can't breathe! C-can't breathe. Snape, can't -"

Harry felt his throat closing up, and the air wheezing from his lungs. A moment later, Snape stood beside him. Snape grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms up above his head. "Keep them up - they'll help you breathe easier. Now, concentrate on drawing the air in and out. No, Potter, stop hyperventilating."

Snape placed a hand on his chest to help regulate his breathing, but Harry slapped at his wrist. Snape gave him a warning look, but Harry no longer cared about what happened to himself. He shot his foot out and kicked Snape in the knee.

Snape's eyes widened in pain and surprise. Harry kicked him again, his shoes connecting solidly with Snape's knee.

Snape hissed and reached out to grab him, but Harry caught his hand and sunk his teeth into his hand, just below his potion-stained thumb.

"Ow!" Snape yanked his hand back and swore.

"You like that?" Harry yelled. "You like how that feels? Well, times it times a hundred and you'll know how I feel."

"You must be suicidal," Snape snarled, massaging his bitten hand with the fingers of his other hand. "What do think I'm going to do to you?"

Panic attack completely forgotten, Harry yelled, "I don't know, but it can't be anything compared to what I'm about to do to you."

"You're completely insane," Snape sneered. "Just - insane!"

"You too!"

They stood there, facing each other, ready to tear the other apart.

"Fine," Snape finally retorted. "You can just stay up here for the rest of the day until you learn to control yourself."

"I hate you," Harry told him.

Snape's eyes opened a bit wider, making him look crazy, and then Snape whirled to stalk to the hall, slamming the door behind him.

"Prat," Harry muttered.

He looked at Vampyr who was crouched in the corner where he had been ever since the shouting match began.

"He didn't love my mother," Harry told the dog. "He couldn't - and even if he did, she didn't love him. My mum would never even look at him. She wouldn't."

The dog which had bit his foot the first time they had met came over and looked up at Harry with sad eyes.

"I hate it here," Harry whispered. Two more tears rolled down his cheeks. He pulled his glasses off and swiped his arm over his eyes.

Vampyr set his head on Harry's knee, looking up at the boy. Harry sniffed and then reached down to pet the dog's head. He ran his cold fingers though the dog's thick black fur, running over and over on top of the dog's head. He found himself talking to the huge animal, telling the dog how he felt about Snape and the house and the way Snape treated him and the stupid games they played that Snape did not play right.

"And it was Dumbledore," Harry went on as he scratched Vampyr's neck. "Dumbledore! How could Snape keep me away from Dumbledore? I didn't like it here, but it was all right until Dumbledore came and I couldn't see him. Why couldn't I see him? I hate Snape for this - I really do."

The dog kept comforting him, nuzzling Harry's stomach as gently as he could.

"I wish we could run away together," Harry sighed. "Would you run with me? We could go somewhere far away, live in the woods, just you and me. We don't need anyone else, and no one cares about us anyway."

He went on in this fashion for a while, and when he felt calmer, he got on the floor to line up the soldiers like an army. Vampyr kept knocking them over accidentally, but Harry didn't mind too much as it gave him something to do for a while.

Footsteps sounded a few hours later, and Snape opened the door. "It's lunchtime."

Harry ignored him, continuing to play with his soldiers.

"I said it's lunchtime - come along, Potter."

Harry still did not move - he wouldn't even give Snape the satisfaction of looking at him.

"Harry, come to lunch," Snape raised his voice slightly. When he was still ignored, he threatened, "You can come to lunch on your own or I can carry you. Which will it be?"

Harry had no intention of ever letting Snape near him again so he got up and walked past Snape towards the hall. Harry did not make a run for the front door; he guessed it was locked, and he refused to have Snape catch him again.

He sat down at the kitchen table, but when Snape set the plate of sandwich, fruit, and crisps in front of him along with a glass of milk, Harry ignored the food. Snape ate his own food for several minutes of silence until he said,

"Enough pouting. Eat your lunch."

Harry looked over at the empty corner where he had been made to stand before, back when he had only disliked Snape. Now that he hated him, Harry felt only rage at being punished for things that weren't even his fault.

"Eat your food," Snape ordered. "Eat it, Harry. Stop being stubborn and eat it. Do you want to be punished for disobeying me?"

Harry did not answer, watching the corner in tense silence.

Snape put his sandwich down and came around the table. Harry tensed, ready to fight should Snape try to punish him. But Snape only picked the untouched sandwich off the plate and thrust it out towards him.

"Eat it."

Harry turned his head away, but Snape was insistent. He followed the direction of Harry's mouth with the sandwich. "Eat the sandwich - take a bite."

Harry pressed his lips together tightly. Snape pushed the sandwich against his mouth, mashing the bread and meat against his lips.

"You are going to eat this sandwich," Snape decided, "even if it's the last thing you do."

Harry shook his head, but Snape grabbed his chin with his free hand. The grip around his jaw hurt, but Harry refused to open. He could sit there all day if Snape wanted to.

"You open your mouth or I will use the Imperious Curse on you," Snape threatened.

"Hm?" Harry looked up at him, confused but still mouth shut.

"Yes, I would risk going to Azkaban just so you eat this sandwich," Snape growled as he tried to pry Harry's mouth open. "Now, you're going to take a bite."

The pressure on his jaw was getting too tight, and Harry relented to open his mouth an inch. Snape shoved the sandwich in, and Harry took a bite. Then he closed his lips again, the bite of sandwich resting on his tongue.

"Well, chew it," Snape ordered, dropping the rest of the sandwich on the plate.

Harry raised obstinate eyes up to Snape and did not move his mouth.

"You have to chew it," Snape declared.

Harry leaned to the side and spit the sandwich on the floor. "I hate you," he told Snape.

Snape's eyes flashed, and he lifted his hand up. Harry flinched, his own hands rising instinctively to cover his face.

"Put those down," Snape commanded. "I'm not going to slap you, though you do deserve it. You have to eat lunch."

"Why?" Harry shot back. "You want me miserable - why not starve me?"

"Because you're too thin already," Snape said. "You weighed next to nothing when I picked you up this morning and the other day when I carried you up from the cellar. You need all your meals and you're going to eat that."

"You can make me eat, but you can't make me swallow."

"I can make you eat everything inside this kitchen if I want," Snape argued. "One flick of this wand, and you'll be tearing through the ice box like you haven't eaten in a week."

"Then I'll throw it up the minute you let me free."

"You horrid brat, no wonder your family hates you."

Harry blinked. When did Snape learn about his family life? Surely Dumbledore wouldn't tell Snape anything about -

Snape took advantage of his confusion to tear off a piece of sandwich and stuff it in his mouth. Harry tried to spit it out, but Snape clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Chew it and swallow, chew it and swallow."

Harry's eyes watered as he chewed, and he felt tired and frustrated and exhausted. Who knew fighting eating lunch could be so stressful? Once he swallowed, Snape picked up the glass milk.

"Take a sip of this. I swear, if you spit it out, you'll mopping the kitchen floor all afternoon."

Harry took a gulp of the milk - Snape wouldn't let him hold the glass - and it tasted good, cold and soothing to his sore throat. Snape set the glass aside and picked the rest of the sandwich.

"I'll eat it," Harry held out his hand.

Snape looked doubtfully but handed over the sandwich, warning, "You throw that on the floor, and I'll grind everything together and feed it to you through a straw."

Harry glared at him, but began taking small bites of the sandwich. Snape returned to his own lunch, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

Once they were mostly done (Snape was taking a second cup of tea and Harry was picking at the last of his fruit), Harry decided it was time to speak out.

"What's going to happen to me?"

Snape took a sip of tea. "You're going to wash the dishes and study for the rest of the day. Anymore nonsense, and you'll be taking a nap."

"No," Harry shook his head, "not for today. What's going to happen to me here?"

Snape took another sip of tea and said nothing.

"You didn't let me see Dumbledore," Harry pointed out. "You didn't let me talk or move, and then you said those horrible things. I want to know what you plan to do with me, and I want to know now. I think I should get that much, even if I don't like what you're going to do. I should know."

Snape set his teacup down and cleared his throat. "Very well. I'll tell you what I plan to do with you."