Snape let Harry hug him for a second and then he put both hands around the boy and firmly put him back on the bed. "No more hysterics," he insisted. "Go on to sleep and everything will look better in the morning."

"Fine," Harry sniffed as he lay back and let Snape cover him up. "But I'm not leaving."

"We'll see,' Snape told him. "Stop crying and go to sleep."

"I'm staying," Harry's face was tear-splotched and stubborn as he relaxed into the bed.

"I said we'll see," Snape snapped.

"You'll see because I'm doing just that," Harry replied.

"No, I'm making the decisions because I'm the adult."

"Yeah, but I'm the smart one."

"Why?" Snape demanded. "Why do you always have to fight me and try to get in the last word?"

"You try to say the last word, too," Harry pouted. "And you could be nice - I'm still hurting from the hairbrush."

"You deserved that," Snape told him, but his voice had lost its usual bite.

"You deserve the hairbrush to hit you on the head," Harry said.

"Mmmmm!" Snape growled low in his throat.

"He's mean to me," Harry leaned over the bed to talk to Vampyr. "He's mean, and I've been very good."

"You naughty liar," Snape scolded, "you've not been good."

"Maybe but -" Harry paused as he yawned. He lifted a hand to rub his eyes and then continued, "you could be nicer."

"Go to sleep," Snape told him again.

"Not tired," Harry grumbled. "Sit down and tell me a story."

"What?" Snape looked disgusted. "You must have me confused with someone who actually likes little children."

"No, I have you confused with someone who is not an evil bat. Other people might say you're a bad person, and you might think you're a bad person, but I know you're a bad one. Wait -" Harry squinted in confusion. "That came out wrong. Other people might think you're bad, and you say you're good, but I know - no, wait."

"Good night," Snape pulled the covers tight over Harry again. "Step foot out of that bed and you'll see what a bad person I can be."

Snape turned the tamp off, but Harry continued in the dark,

"Other people might say you're bad, and you might think - no, Snape come back. Let me try again. Mean git."

Yawning his head off in the dark, Harry closed his eyes and let exhaustion over take him as he heard Vampyr settle as well.

------

To Harry's horror, the next two weeks flew by. He tried to make the time slow down by staying up late (in bed of course because Snape would march him upstairs when it got too late and Harry protested) and he argued every quiet time (Snape let him stay downstairs one day, but put his foot down for the rest) and he jumped up as soon as the morning light came through the window and demanded breakfast (Snape glared at him over several cups of coffee while Harry gobbled down breakfast).

Snape did not seem especially horrid though he watched him like a hawk. He kept Harry busy with chores or reading and even started the nasty lessons again, though this time he concentrated on the subjects taught at Hogwarts.

"After all," Snape said with relish, "we only have a few more days before you have to return to school. All the other children studied over the summer, except one little spiteful, naughty boy who would not study."

Harry hated Snape's patronizing tone, but he nodded along and kept reading whatever boring text Snape had assigned.

The worst was the calendar Snape kept in the living room where Harry studied. Snape made a point every morning of marking off the day before. Harry watched as 22 days became 21, 20, 19 and so on down to eight days left.

In the two-week time, Harry got punished only twice. The first time was a morning with 18 days left when Snape told Harry to get a broom and sweep the hallway.

"I don't want to," Harry protested. "I'm not your servant anymore."

"I said to get the broom and sweep," Snape said sternly. "It's part of your chores."

"I'm not doing anymore chores!" Harry had yelled out, his voice echoing though the living room. "This isn't my relatives' house where I'm a slave!"

Snape had grabbed him, pulled him over to the chair, and tipped him over one knee.

"No, Snape, don't," Harry squirmed over that firm knee.

"You've been far too long without proper punishment if you think that's appropriate behavior," Snape replied. "You're about to get twelve swats and then you're going to apologize to me and go get the broom."

"I'll get the broom - but don't spank me!" Harry pleaded.

Snape replied by laying down the first swat. The next eleven that followed were firm, but not cruel. However, Harry started crying by the sixth, more upset that Snape was punishing him than the actual pain. Had he been over Uncle Vernon's knee or Aunt Petunia's, Harry was fairly sure he could grit his teeth and bear the pain. Nothing his relatives did seemed to hurt his feelings - he was used to them being generally awful. But Snape being upset with him - it made his chest ache and his throat close up and a few swats could unleash tears though he thought he was much too old to cry.

"There," Snape swatted him one last time, "are you ready to apologize?"

"Yes," came Harry's weak answer.

Snape pulled him up and turned Harry to face him. "Well?"

His eyes were blurry and his bottom lip was trembling, but Harry managed, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Snape demanded.

"Not sweeping."

"You never tell me no," Snape said, his black eyes hard. "You ever tell me no again and I'll take my belt to you."

It was harsh and awful, but Harry moved towards Snape.

"You want comfort after you were so horrible?" Snape scoffed, but he put his arm around Harry and pulled him close for a second before pushing him back and ordering, "Broom, sweep, then you can go outside to play."

"Can I play in the water with Vampyr?" Harry asked, sniffing once.

"As long as you don't track mud into house. And how about you pull a few buckets of water into the house so I can mop the floor?"

 "Can you sweep the floor and I mop?" Harry asked, suddenly excited. "Mopping's more fun because you can use soap and make bubbles and pretend you're Cinderel - er, somebody."

Snape sneered at the idea of pretending to be Cinderellla, but he agreed, "Yes, I'll sweep, but you have to hold the dustpan."

As Harry went to get the broom and dustpan, he wondered why he didn't just ask Snape if he could mop in the first place. It seemed silly to get all upset over sweeping, but he was tired of Snape ordering him around and Harry wanted to see what would happen if he protested.

As it turned out, Snape used magic to sweep the floor, and Harry played with the water and soap for ab hour, making so many suds that when Vampyr ran through, the dog slipped over the slick floor, slid into the living room, and knocked over the table with the lamp so it fell and broke. Snape lectured him mercilessly for it, but then he relented and let Harry play outside in more buckets of water.

The second time Harry got punished, he contended that it was not his fault. The first time, he had talked back to Snape and maybe deserved to be scolded (Harry would never admit he should be spanked for anything). But Harry would insist to his dying day that the second was completely undeserved and a result of Snape's nasty temper. Well, sort of . . .

It was a hot day at the end of the two weeks, and Harry stared at the eight days left on the calendar before he had to go back to school. Snape had not talked about letting Harry come back, and Harry was sure at this point that he would be taken to Hogwarts still not knowing what would happen to him.

He was pretending to read his book, but he sighed heavily.

Across the room, Snape put his own book down. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Harry replied. "But it's too hot to read. Can we go back to the field and the creek?"

"All you ever do is complain," Snape yelled at him. "You beg and take and demand more, ungrateful child."

"Fine," Harry sighed again and looked back at his book.

Snape gave him an angry glare but said nothing.

Harry read for another second and then he succumbed to the heat and sighed one more time.

"That's it," Snape jumped out of his seat and grabbed Harry.

"I didn't do anything!" Harry wailed as he found himself back over Snape's knee. "Not fair, not fair!"

Snape slapped his bottom hard and Harry responded by hitting his fist against Snape's knee.

Snape spanked him one more time and then stood, flinging Harry over his left shoulder.

"What did I do?" Harry squalled as Snape carried him to the kitchen and out the backdoor.

Snape said nothing but he swung Harry up in the air and dropped him into the full rain barrel. Harry sank down into the cold water (it didn't feel so bad after all the heat), but he came up sputtering.

"Are you going to keep up this cheek?" Snape demanded.

Harry held onto the side of the rain barrel with one hand and used the other to splash Snape with the rain water. "How's that for cheek?" Harry taunted.

Snape's eyes went big in that awful way, and he reached into the water to hoist Harry out. But rather than apologize from dropping him in there, Snape conjured up a stool, sat down, and placed a very wet Harry over his lap. The six swats that came next were hard, but Harry wasn't sure they hurt more or just sounded worse because they were on his wet trousers.

After that impromptu spanking, Snape ordered him to start weeding the flower beds. That was better than going back in to read in the stuffy living room, so Harry did that. His wet clothes soon dried, but he got all muddy and Snape made him take a bath that night which was doubly unfair because he had already gone into the rain barrel. So an undeserved spanking and two baths in one day just because Snape didn't like sighing - so mean!

But then there was only seven days left to Hogwarts, and Harry felt more scared than ever. He was out of ideas and plans and he had no clue how to change the mind of a regular adult, much less a crazy man like Snape. After a summer of Snape's insane games, Harry felt like he should know how to manipulate the ugly bat, but he felt more confused than ever.

Seven days - that was 168 hours, about - not enough time to do anything.

Harry waited and worried all though the day and by suppertime he was so nervous that he didn't want to eat when Snape put supper on the table.

"What do you mean you're not hungry?" Snape demanded. "Are you complaining about the food?"

"No, it's fine, but . . ."

"If you don't eat, then you're sick and you have to go to bed straight away with several potions to calm your stomach," Snape threatened.

"I'm not sick," Harry swallowed.

"You have ten seconds to explain and then it's a potion."

"It's about school," Harry hedged, staring down at his plate of food.

"You're going and that's finally," Snape said. "In a few days, I'll find you some robes and get the books."

"But it's time to talk about what's going to happen there," Harry felt dizzy, but he kept talking. "I - I've been gone all summer. What do I tell people that ask where I was?"

"I don't care," Snape said, but he did not look convinced.

"Can I tell my friends that had a quiet summer at my relatives' house?" Harry wondered. "Can I tell them that I stayed with you? What about Dumbledore? Does he know where I am? Does he care? Does anyone care? If they don't care, I get to come back here at Christmas because no one else cares."

"One question at a time," Snape sneered. "This is why no one likes you."

"Don't try to change the subject. I'm not going to get angry - I just want answers."

"Answers - silly little boys like you don't get answers."

"Fine, I'll ask Dumbledore when I get to Hogwarts. The first night, I'm going to walk up to the teacher's table, right past that Sorting Hat, and ask Dumbledore to tell me and the whole school what happened."

"Is this your attempt at blackmail?" Snape sneered.

"I thought blackmail had money in it," Harry frowned.

"Not always. You are blackmailing me. Not standing up to your Gryffindor status, are you?"

"No, ‘cause I've been living with a Slytherin. Now tell me right now."

"All right," Snape gave in. "Dumbledore - Dumbledore knows that you're here."

Harry's mouth dropped opened. He felt a tremendous sweep of emotion and hurt and betrayal and -

"Now before you burst into hysterics, listen to me," Snape said. "It wasn't his idea. He got word the night I took you. He contacted me that night, and - and I was angry and we fought."

Harry said nothing, watching Snape with open eyes.

"I accused him of manipulating people and forcing - well, never mind all that. I managed to persuade him to let me keep you for the summer."

"And he agreed?" Harry whispered. He remembered how horrible Snape had been at the beginning of summer, the misery he had inflicted upon him.

"He agreed, but made me promise that you would be alive and unharmed by the end of summer. He knew your relatives' house was not a happy place for you, so he let me. Then you got sick and somehow he found out - I don't know how. He stopped by to see you, but I knew you would talk him into taking you away. So I hid you. I convinced him you were fine and then I put memories into a Pensive of you playing in the garden with the dog. He agreed you looked happy though I'm not sure he trusted me."

"Why should he?" Harry finally found his voice. "You manipulated everyone, not him. You're mean and cruel and evil and like breaking my toys. Well, I hope you're happy."

"I've never been happy," Snape retorted. "I've been miserable my whole life. I wanted you to feel what I suffered through."

"Your suffering isn't over," Harry shot back. "How's this for size? I'm living here from now on. I'm going to make you regret that you ever took me that night. From now on, Severus Snape, you're my father whether you like it or not."

"You cheeky -"

"I want better clothes," Harry continued. "And better toys and better food. This is yuck. And you're going to give it me or I'll tell Dumbledore."

"You're threatening me?" Snape looked outraged.

"I'm blackmailing you because I want money, too," Harry felt triumphant. "An allowance with a trip to a candy store every week."

"Of all the nerve -"

"And you can't say no because you wanted this," Harry went on. "You wanted me to come here - you bullied Dumbledore into letting me come. So blame yourself, old man. I'm here to stay. So there."

"You're going to be the sorriest, sorest boy on the train come next week," Snape warned. "Don't think I'm going to stop punishing you because I adopt you."

"You're - you're adopting me?" Harry blinked.

"How else do you think you can stay here? Really, Harry, you are the stupidest - oomph!" Snape bumped his chair back as Harry ran into him and wrapped his arms around Snape as tight as he could.

"I'm going to be adopted," Harry refused to let gp. "I never have to go back to that awful house. I can stay here with you and Vampyr forever. I get to be happy, not locked in a cupboard and ignored or treated like a freak, but live in a real house with a real family."

"You're horribly sentimental," Snape disapproved, but he did not push Harry away.

"I get stay here with you and Vampyr," Harry looked up at Snape and smiled. "Here in this crazy house."

"I'm not changing the house to suit you," Snape frowned.

"I like it just the way it is," Harry told him.

"All right, all right, enough nonsense. Go and eat your supper before I put you to bed without any."

Harry went back to his chair and took his seat, grinning from ear to ear.